


What Future Lies Ahead

by HexagonCube



Series: HexagonCube’s Love Live Fanfictions [1]
Category: Love Live! School Idol Project
Genre: Completed, Cutting, Drama, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, F/M, Friendship, Heterosexuality, Idols, Medical Conditions, Psychological Trauma, Romance, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:27:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 31
Words: 137,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25166941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HexagonCube/pseuds/HexagonCube
Summary: Years after µ's had disbanded, everyone went about their own lives, doing what they always wanted to do...or so they thought...With the unwavering, burning passions of being idols in their hearts, they have reformed with the help of two managers. Follow the adventures of µ's as they try to figure out how they follow their dreams and face their personal problems in their lives.I do not own Love Live characters, I only own my OC characters and the story plot.Note: Explicit language and mature themes are mentioned. Proceed with caution.Playlist for the book: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2MZhBPYJq80wuIWMcb7onI?si=hnb5hYbURAiBXHn8QkRhqQ
Relationships: Ayase Eli/Toujou Nozomi, Minami Kotori/Original Character(s), Nishikino Maki/Yazawa Nico, Sonoda Umi/Original Character(s)
Series: HexagonCube’s Love Live Fanfictions [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2073837
Comments: 116
Kudos: 72





	1. Friends Stay Together Forever

It was seven in the night in New York. At this time, most people would be finishing up their work and taking dinner. Some would consider it a great timing to have a romantic candlelit date. Restaurants and food courts were all full and bustling.

Not for Posty, a well-known singer. He had just released his third studio album, and he was currently having a concert tour to promote it. His first stop was Madison Square Garden.

He sat down in his crew bus and took out his phone. He scrolled through his notes and memorized his lyrics. As he was reading it, someone named 'Manager Lee' called him. He answered the call.

"Yo, man, I'm calling to check on you" The caller said, "You've had a long day of meet and greet, and now you're going to do a concert. You tired?"

"Nah, I'm fine." Posty replied, "I like doing concerts. I want to see my fans. Seeing them sing my songs out loud gives me energy."

"Remember, bro, don't overexert yourself." The man said, "I know you like it, but I don't wish to see you suffering in pain. Your fans don't even know what you're suffering from."

"Got it, Manager." Posty answered, "When I get back tonight, beer's on me."

"Remember, no beer for you, Posty." His manager said happily, "It's plain water. Now, go and give the concert your all!"

"Yes, Sir! I'll see you later!" Posty responded and then ended the call. He took in heavy breaths before letting it go.

A few minutes later, he went up onto stage. The crowd roared in joy as they cheered his name over and over again. He took a microphone from one of his crew members and gently tapped the top before speaking into it.

"Hey, Posty here." He said, "I'm glad you guys could make it here, honestly. I always appreciate my fans. Be it local or international, I'm grateful for you guys. How are you enjoying my album so far?"

The fans screamed their favorite tracks out. There are many different answers coming in at the same time, so Posty told them to quiet down.

"From your reactions, I can see that you've enjoyed my album, and I'm glad. I have put a lot of effort into it. My feelings, my family, my life, it's all written in the songs." Posty then sat on the stage, "Before I start my concert, I just wanna get a few things off my chest. This might affect me and the rest of the concerts I have."

He breathed in and out before revealing what he had to say, "I have a few problems with my body. I won't tell you specifically what it is, but I do not feel that well. I don't think that I'll be able to make it for the rest of the tour dates. I might even stop making music one day thanks to this obstinate body of mine. I deeply apologize for that. If I ever disappear from this industry one day, I got one thing to say to you. Like what Dr Seuss said, do not cry that it's over. Smile because it happened. But, since we're all here tonight..."

He then took out a cigarette and lit it up before he smoked, "Let's rage tonight. Let's make this the best night you guys ever had. We gon' sing every song as loud and proud as we can! Treat this concert as my last live! Can you do that for me?"

The crowd roared in agreement.

"Can you sing every song with me too?" Post questioned. Once again, they shouted 'yes' concurrently.

"Alright, let's do it!" Posty turned to his DJ to play a song.

A few days later, Posty was reported dead on the scene of a hit-and-run accident. News of his death made the front page of all the news outlets. Fans all around the world mourned the passing of Posty online and placed roses in front of his grave. They also made him a tribute video.

**\--µ's--**

Three years later, in Tokyo, the streets were bustling with cars and human beings. It was a normal working day, and people were on their way to report to work, be it by cars, trains, or even riding bicycles.

Shops were also operating during this time of the day. For instance, Homura, a Japanese sweets shop located in Chiyoda, is open from nine in the morning to six in the evening.

A woman got out of the toilet in her room on the second floor. She has cinnamon-colored, medium-length hair. She also has a hot-pink bow holding the left side of her hair into a ponytail. Her eyes are the same color as her hair too.

Her name is Honoka Kosaka. In her second year of high school, she started a school idol group named µ's to save Otonokizaka High from shutting down. µ's was one of the most well-known names in Japan at that time. If you were to just mention their name, anyone would snap their fingers and say, "Oh, I definitely know them!" They had so many hits and were a favorite group within fans. Sadly, µ's had to be disbanded. Three of the members, who were third year students, had just graduated from the school. The nine idols promised each other that the group will not exist with any one missing. The legacy of µ's then ended. They left nothing behind in Otonokizaka High. Trophies? Gone. Posters? Gone. CDs and books about school idols? Gone.

She does miss being a school idol. She had a lot of fun dancing, singing, and interacting with other members. She enjoyed training for Love Live, a competition for school idols. She knows she can't return to the past and be her carefree self again, but she longed for it. Sadly, this is the harsh reality. She has to work for money now, and she couldn't find any other job except being a cashier in her mother's store.

She sighed and went down to the first floor, which is the shop. She saw her younger sister, Yukiho Kosaka, sweeping the floor.

"You should learn to wake up earlier, so that you can help me out." Yukiho groaned, "The store's about to open in ten minutes. If it wasn't for me, the customers would have to wait outside the shop for ages."

"You make it sound so serious." Honoka yawned before walking to the cash register, "But thanks anyways."

"Tcch, you should learn how to wake up early next time." Yukiho said, "This is supposed to be your job. I got my own work to do."

"I'm sorry, Yukiho." She gave a nervous smile. It's like her younger sister has now become the older one, lecturing her. She then unlocked the store's doors and looked at the sun, "Another sunny day! I can feel it! Today's business is going to be good!"

At night, Honoka was preparing to close the shop for the day. There were indeed a lot of customers coming in to buy some sweets. As she was taking cash out of the register to count, she heard someone open the door.

"Honoka." She turned up to see a woman with bluish-black colored hair in a blazer, white collared buttoned shirt, and a black skirt walking to her. She looked at Honoka and showed her a message on her phone, "Have you gotten this yet, Honoka?" This is Umi Sonoda. She used to be a member and lyricist of µ's. She is also Honoka's childhood friend.

"I have not." Honoka took Umi's phone, "What does it say?"

"Don't you have your own phone?"

"I'm too lazy to take mine out. You've already opened the message, so I might as well read it from here."

"It's in our group chat." Umi rolled her eyes at Honoka. The latter read the message. The sender, who is named Kotori, has invited the two of them to New York City to attend a fashion show.

"Wow! So cool!" Honoka squealed in delight, "She's invited to a famous fashion show in America, and she wants us to tag along with her!"

"She's the most successful out of the three of us." Umi smiled, "I'm planning to go there. Do you want to tag along?"

"Of course! I want to see Kotori-chan too! I haven't seen her in such a long time. Just let me tell my parents. When is it, though?"

"Let me check." Umi snatched her phone back and looked at the calendar app, "Oh, it's next month."

"A month?!" Honoka is shocked to hear the date. Once she told her mother about it, her mother just shook her head and told her daughter that she would not allow it.

"But why, Okaa-san?" She whined, "I want to go and support Kotori-chan! She's such a star now! Won't you let me off once and allow me to see my childhood friend?"

"No, Honoka." Her mother sighed, "Our shop is having a big event next month. And you know what that is. The shop's anniversary. You're even picking the dates where it is happening."

"Yeah, but Okaa-san..."

"No buts." Her mother crossed her arms, "The event next month is of utmost importance to our shop. We need a lot of help. Besides, your younger sister needs to work. She doesn't have the time to help us. So, all the more we need you in store."

"Alright." Honoka pouted. She was about to leave the room when Yukiho came in.

"Okaa-san, I will take over Onee-chan's job." She stated, "My boss has given me some free days for the year, and I can use some of it for the event."

"But, Yukiho, that's for emergency use." Her mother replied, "What happens if you meet with an accident? Or you really need to leave urgently for something important?"

"It's okay, Okaa-san. I take care of my body regularly. Besides, Onee-chan and Kotori-san have been friends for very long. It's only fitting for her to attend her childhood friend's fashion show."

"Is it really okay for you?"

"Yes, Okaa-san. I will take over Onee-chan's job for the time being." Yukiho then turned to Honoka, "Please come back as soon as possible. Don't enjoy yourself outside because as soon as the event ends, I'm not helping you."

Honoka's frown turned into a big smile. She then ran to her sister and hugged her, "Thank you so much, Yukiho! I will forever be grateful to you!" Yukiho kept patting Honoka's shoulder, trying to signal her to not hug her so tightly. Their mother reluctantly agreed to the idea.

For the rest of this month, Honoka worked hard to sell as many sweets as she could so that it could give her mother a good impression. She'd wake up early every day, setting up the shop and the cash register. Her mother would come around sometimes to see her working diligently. She nodded her head in satisfaction.

* * *

Finally, the day came. The day to see a childhood friend Honoka has not seen for three years. Yes, they video-called each other occasionally, but this will be the first time in a few years that Honoka would be able to feel Kotori's embrace again. She can't help feeling excited.

On that morning, Honoka waved goodbye to her parents and Yukiho before dragging her luggage out of the house. Umi and a man are waiting for her outside.

"Honoka, don't let your boyfriend wait so long." Umi told Honoka, "He still got work after this."

"Okay." Honoka then waved goodbye to her family members one more time before skipping happily to the man. She placed her hands around his neck.

"Thank you so much, Akiyoshi-san." She kissed his cheeks, "Thanks for waking up so early to bring me to the airport."

"No problem." He smiled, "I'd do anything for my girlfriend."

"I'm surprised your parents let you off, especially your mother." Umi said to her best friend while they're in Akiyoshi's car to the airport, "When is the event again?"

"In three days." Honoka responded, "We'll be in America for five days and four nights. These tickets are such a bomb. If it was not for my life savings and my boyfriend's loan, I would've just did the same like last time. Make a Skype call with Kotori."

"You know, Honoka," Umi uttered, "It's been a long time since we've stopped becoming school idols. Do you miss the moments when µ's were together?"

Honoka looked at the window. She sighed and then turned to Umi, "Let's not talk about that. Now, I'm just super duper hyped up for the fashion show! I wonder what dresses the designers have created!"

Umi nodded her head in silence, feeling a bit disappointed that Honoka didn't say how she really felt about it.

A few months ago, before Honoka got the cashier job, she went out and sing for a living. She likes to sing, so she thought performing a song live on the streets every night wouldn't be that big of a problem. However, she decided not to do it anymore as she earned little from it. She tried going for job interviews, but none of them accepted her due to her lack of skills. Seeing that, her mother gave her the job of a cashier at Homura bakery and promised to pay her every month for the amount of food she sells.

At the airport, Honoka and Umi got out of the car and took their luggages. Akiyoshi came out and hugged Honoka.

"Remember to stay safe." He looked at her, "Call me when you reach the hotel, alright?" Honoka nodded her head. The two girls waved him goodbye before walking into the airport.

For the next thirteen hours, Umi and Honoka are in the plane. Umi watched a movie named 'Knives Out' while Honoka watched every live show µ's ever did. For the rest of the plane journey, they slept soundly. They knew jet lag would definitely get to them. Japan is thirteen hours behind America, and the journey takes thirteen hours too.

* * *

The plane landed at the runway of the New York airport at nine in the morning. Both of them woke up from their sleep and went out of the plane. They went to the taxi stand and are shocked to see such a long queue for taxis. Nevertheless, they joined it and waited.

"Do you think we can make it for Kotori's show?" Umi asked worriedly, "Look at the long line of people! What happens if we're late, and we miss the show?"

"Umi-chan, you're over-exaggerating." Honoka joyfully replied, "The show starts at seven. We have ten hours to get to the hotel, rest, and then meet Kotori-chan in the hotel lobby! We have a lot of time, so don't worry!"

When they are finally at the front of the queue, there are no taxis present. The two of them sighed. They waited for a good thirty minutes before one arrived at the stand.

The driver winded down his window and looked at them, "Where to, ladies?" He spoke in English.

"He's speaking in English!" Umi turned to Honoka, "Do you know any English?" Honoka took out a piece of paper, "We just have to give him this, don't we?"

"I can't trust your writing." Umi folded her arms, "Remember that time when you got me, Kotori, and Rin to a cheap looking hostel? I'm not going through that again!"

"C'mon! It's the right address!" Honoka double checked the paper to confirm the fact, "I think I wrote it correctly. It's in English, after all. I'm still not really familiar with it."

As the two girls bickered, the people behind started murmuring about them. Some are even complaining and whining about them taking so much time to get into a taxi.

The driver sighed and cleared his throat before speaking in Japanese, "Can you understand what I'm saying now? Get in the car and tell me where you need to go."

Umi and Honoka looked at him surprisingly. They got into the taxi and passed him the paper. He glanced at it and typed the address in his GPS app. Immediately, it showed him the directions to the hotel.

"Sorry for causing so much trouble, mister." Honoka said, "We are not so familiar with English although we're here for the second time."

"Ms Honoka Kosaka, maybe next time you should learn how to speak English when you step into America." The driver told her, "It'll be beneficial here. Call me Lee."

"You know my name?"

"Hey, I'm a fan of µ's." The driver replied, "I've listened to every one of your songs. My favorite singer is the one sitting beside you, Honoka-chan."

"M...m...me?" Umi is taken aback, "I...I..."

"For real, though." Lee laughed, "You really had a good singing voice. Your voice soothes me."

"T...thanks..." Umi's cheeks blushed.

"Anyways, you girls are here for the fashion show, right?"

"How did you know that?" Honoka questioned.

"Your former µ's member and friend Kotori is going there as a special guest. I got to say, Kotori works for a very famous clothing company in America, especially New York. Her clothes are always sold out within minutes, like they're some special limited edition clothes. The designs are really pretty. But that's pretty expected for me, seeing that the dresses you girls wore during your performances were made by Kotori."

"You know us quite well."

"Oh yeah, I remembered there is a CD here." As Lee stopped at a red traffic light, he rummaged through the small drawers of his Toyota Corolla for it. He managed to find it and took it out. It was a compact disc.

He inserted it into the car's CD player and turned to the girls, "This is one of your songs. 'Snow halation', if I'm not wrong. I like it very much."

The song then started playing and he went swaying slightly from left to right, singing along. Umi and Honoka smiled at each other. They are glad people are still listening to the songs µ's made although it's been years since they broke up.

* * *

At night, Umi and Honoka are waiting outside of Spring Studios, waiting for their friend Kotori. They looked around for signs of their friend. A few minutes later, a woman with long, light brown hair rushed to them, huffing and panting. She is Kotori Minami, the childhood friend of Honoka and Umi, and also a former member of µ's.

"Kotori-chan!" Honoka hugged her, "I've missed you so much!"

"Me too." She smiled and placed her hands around Honoka too. She then hugged Umi after that. The three women are sure happy to see each other face to face again after a very long time.

Kotori worked in a clothing company in America after her graduation, where she got a degree in fashion design. She lives alone in New York.

During the fashion show, Honoka watched the models walk past them as she stared dreamily at the dresses. Kotori points at some of them, telling Umi that they are very beautiful. The latter agreed.

* * *

Thirty minutes later, the trio went to a restaurant to take their dinner. Kotori helped the other two order some fried rice with other dishes like chicken wings and fried egg omelette.

"Thanks for treating us to dinner, Kotori-chan!" Honoka beamed, "I'm already feeling bad for asking you to pay."

"It's okay." Kotori replied, "Take this as a gift for visiting me. How's your lives? What are you working as?"

"A normal office job from nine to five." Umi said.

"Cashier in my mother's store." Honoka sighed.

"Oh yeah, I heard that you have a boyfriend, from what Umi-chan told me." Kotori uttered, "How's you and him?"

"Our relationship is working well." Honoka smiled, "We've been together for 2 years, around a few days after you left. He loves me very much, and I love him very much too. I'm glad he's willing to go through a lot with me."

"They are so loving." Umi added on, "I really envy them. There was this one time, when Honoka made him wait in the rain on purpose. That was to test his love and patience. He did wait in the rain waiting for her from day to night. He was so dedicated to her."

"I feel kinda awful for making him sick the next day, so I accompanied him that day too."

"You are so sweet." Kotori said, "How did you guys meet though?"

"Oh, he met me when I was still doing live performances on the streets." Honoka said, "I still remember the first day we met. I stared at his sky blue eyes and immediately fell in love with him."

As the trio are talking about their own lives, three plates of fried rice is then served to them by the waiter.

"I'll take some chili sauce for us." Kotori stood up., "It'll be delicious when you add chili sauce to it." The other two nodded their heads, and she left the seat. She went to the sauce station and took three small plates of chili.

A white Audi RS5 arrived at the restaurant. The driver walked out of the car and went into the restaurant.

Lee, who is sitting down on a seat, saw the man. He is about to stand up and wave his hand at him when Kotori walks past him.

"Isn't that..." Lee rubbed his eyes, "It's the one and only Kotori Minami! The famous designer and former member of µ's! I'm so lucky to meet three of them today!"

He then saw the man turning in towards Kotori, walking at a fast speed. He and Kotori then bumped into each other.

"Oh shit. She made Hiroshi's suit dirty." Lee thought, "He's not going to like it."


	2. Thinking The Impossible

Kotori took the three small plates of chili sauce and walked towards her table. As she was walking, a man walking into the restaurant suddenly turned towards her, walking at a fast pace. As a result, she bumped into him, with the sauce spilling over the person's clothes.

Lee, who is watching the scene unfold, gulped in fear and thought, "Oh shit. She made Hiroshi's suit dirty. He's not going to like it."

"Oh my god." The man grumbled loudly, "Are you for real? Can you watch where you walk? You just spoiled a three thousand dollars suit!"

"I'm sorry, mister." Kotori took out a tissue, "Please use it to clean it. I'll give you three hundred bucks to fix it too."

"You think a damn tissue can clean it?" He screamed angrily, "Now, because of you, I have to go and repair this damn suit! It costs a lot, you know."

"I'm really sorry, mister." Kotori apologized, "I didn't mean to bump into you. I wasn't aware at all. Please forgive me."

Umi is talking to Honoka when she sees Kotori apologizing to a man. She tapped Honoka's shoulder and told her to look behind her.

"I don't care about whatever your excuse is." The man said, "Pay me three thousand bucks, and I'll let it slide."

Honoka and Umi then rushed to her, "What happened?"

"I bumped into a guy, and he's not happy about it." Kotori spoke in Japanese, "I spilled chili sauce on his suit. I offered tissue and some cash, but he wants me to pay up the full fee of three thousand dollars."

"Pay up? For accidentally spilling?" Honoka asked, "Isn't that a bit too much?"

"Are you girls done?" The man questioned in English, "I know you're a famous designer, Kotori Minami. Surely you have three thousand, considering you work in a company so big."

"I'm going to pay it soon." Kotori told him in English before speaking to her friends in Japanese, "I'm going to fork out the money. Just go back to your seat."

"But he's being unreasonable!" Umi retorted, "You're just gonna give in to him, even when it's an accident?"

"I do not want to blow this matter up." Kotori sighed, "I'm a public figure. I do not want to kick up a fuss and then appear in the news tomorrow."

"No, I won't let you." Umi sternly said, "This heartless, unreasonable, dense man here is not being a gentleman. It's not like you wanted to bump into him purposely. You even offered him a tissue to clean and some money, and that's good enough. Why does he need money? Is he so broke? Then why buy such an expensive suit?"

"Don't speak badly of him in foreign language, Umi-chan." Kotori said, "It's not nice."

"Why? He won't understand it at all."

"Oh, really?" He started speaking in Japanese. The three girls looked at him in shock.

"I don't know Japanese?" He continued, "You better listen up, bitch. You think that I live in America and I don't understand a single word you're saying?"

"I'm sorry, mister." Kotori took out her wallet, "I'll..."

The man then walked towards Umi and glared at her, "You're so daring to insult me. I would like to hear you talk more shit about me right now."

"I do not want to waste my time on a ungentlemanly man like you." Umi growled, "You charge my friend for something so trivial. I can't stand people like you bullying my friend!"

Lee then rushed to him and pulled him away, "Hiroshi, there's a way we can talk this out."

"Lee-san?" Honoka looked at him, "We meet again!"

"I'm sorry to have interrupted your dinner, girls." He said, "As he said, it is a very expensive suit, and it is very costly to repair it. I know Kotori-chan didn't bump into him on purpose. How about this? I'll pay for him."

"But..." Hiroshi tried to talk, but Lee just covered his mouth.

"Go and enjoy your dinner, girls. I'll see you next time." He then brought Hiroshi out of the restaurant. The three women looked at the two of them.

"Well, that was very unexpected." Kotori said, "But how does he know my name?"

"He's a fan of µ's, and he knows you work in a clothing company." Honoka responded, "Now, let's get back to our dinner, shall we? I'm starving!"

**\--µ's--**

"What the hell are you exactly thinking?" Lee asked Hiroshi when both of them were in the latter's home. It is a small place, with three rooms including the living room, and a kitchen.

"That woman spoiled my suit, god damn it." Hiroshi growled, "She should know how expensive these types of suits are. She's a famous designer. She ought to pay up for the damage."

"That was an accident." Lee sighed, "And besides, why are you even wearing that? You're just meeting up with me."

"I had an interview before this. You arranged it. Remember, the one with the magazine?"

"That doesn't mean you wear such an expensive suit to a damn interview! And you know what's worse? They were members of µ's! They were superstars! I had to come in to save the day and drag you away before you make any more trouble! You made me lose face in front of them!"

"Firstly, I don't give a damn about who the hell they are." Hiroshi retorted, "Secondly, why are you even embarrassed? You were the one who decided to jump in out of nowhere and pull me away when you could've just let me do what I need to do."

"To get money from them?"

"To get back what I deserved. Kotori Minami dirtied my shirt, after all. Why are you even defending those suckers? You are supposed to be on my side."

"Whatever. I'll pay for the suit." Lee then looked at him, "You know, talking about µ's, I've been reminded of one thing..."

"Not that thing again, Yosuke. Please. I do not want to hear it again."

"C'mon, we can reunite them back!" Yosuke fell onto the floor dramatically, "We can bring them back together, and let the world hear their wonderful music again! Wouldn't that be great? My hopes of my favorite idol group getting back together will be high!"

He got back up and interrupted Hiroshi before the latter could even talk, "I've always been talking about µ's. I always prayed that they get back together and become a legendary idol group! Even fate has heard me now. The forming members appeared right in front of my eyes! Twice! It's like fate's telling me not to give up hope!"

"You think that's going to work? Just because of your instincts?" Hiroshi asked, "Well, news flash: they've disbanded a long time ago since God knows when. Let them be separated. That's what they wanted, don't they?"

"Hiroshi, you got to help me, please." Yosuke pleaded, "I really like µ's! You know that so well yourself! You own a record label, don't you? You can sign them under you, and let them release music so that the world knows how melodic and awesome their songs are! You've heard some of them before, right?"

"One, Yosuke." Hiroshi rolled his eyes, "It's just one."

"Pretty please, Hiroshi. I would need your help to get µ's back together. It's now or never. We have a chance right now. If we don't take this opportunity, we might never get it again, and I'll regret not doing it."

"I may not be a fan of school idols, but I have basic knowledge. Correct me if I'm wrong, but µ's disbanded because Nozomi Tojo, Nico Yazawa, and Eli Ayase were graduating from high school, and the group won't feel the same if the nine are not together. They will never get back together. Anyways, I won't do it. Go and do it yourself."

"But..."

"Now, if you excuse me, I will be working on some music now. You can go home. Good night, Yosuke."

"Wait." Yosuke looked at Hiroshi, "Don't stress yourself out like Posty. I don't want the same thing happening to you."

"I know my limits." Hiroshi then went into a room and closed the door. Yosuke sighed and walked out of the house dejectedly.

In a hotel room, Honoka lied down on the bed as Umi came out of the toilet. She looked like she was lost in her train of thoughts.

"Umi-chan?" Honoka called out, but Umi didn't respond. Honoka had to call her name the second time for the latter to respond.

"Today is a fun day, isn't it?" Honoka said, "We get to spend some time with Kotori-chan, and we talked to her about lots of things too! I'm glad we're meeting her again tomorrow!"

Umi nodded her head. Honoka looked at her best friend and knew she was definitely bothered by something.

"Are you still affected by what the man had said to you during dinner?" Honoka questioned.

"I'm not." She replied, "I'm just baffled that there is such a man living in the same universe as us. He's such a rude guy. Not to mention, he's so petty over Kotori accidentally spilling sauce on his suit."

"Let's forget what happened tonight. It was an unhappy thing, and we should not think about it anymore. I'm going to talk to my boyfriend now, so you can sleep first if you want."

Honoka then took out her phone and called her boyfriend. Umi lied on the bed and closed her eyes, trying her best not to ponder over the incident.

The next morning, the two girls went to the fashion company outlet that Kotori is working in. While waiting for Kotori, they looked around the shop. It sells many kinds of clothes: dresses, clothes, pants, sweaters, blouses, and skirts. All of them are made with the smoothest and comfortable fabric. The designs are unique too, and also very aesthetic.

"Welcome!" One of the store associates walked over to them and talked in English, "Good morning, ladies. May I ask if you're looking for any clothes in particular?"

"Not again." Honoka whispered to Umi in Japanese, "We can't even speak English at all. I don't understand what the heck she's saying at all."

"Do you think I would, then?" Umi asked back.

"I will help them choose." A familiar voice said in English.

"Alright, Kotori. Happy shopping, ladies!" The associate then walked off. Umi and Honoka turned back and saw Kotori.

"Thank goodness you're here, Kotori-chan." Honoka heaved a sigh of relief, "She was speaking English, and we didn't understand it at all."

"I shall teach you and Umi-chan some English next time." Kotori smiled, "For now, let's pick some clothes for you two today! I know what type of clothes are in this store, and I'd like you to try it out! Let's go!"

For the next two hours, Honoka and Umi took turns trying out different outfits. Each time the two girls changed into a new clothing, Kotori either nodded her head if it looked good on them, or shook her head if it looked horrible on them.

After buying the ones that are satisfactory, the trio went to each at a Western restaurant for lunch. Honoka ordered carbonara, Umi had baked rice with curry chicken, and Kotori ate fish and chips.

"I'm sure glad we went out with a fashion designer." Honoka beamed, "It made buying clothes so much easier, and we will look fantastic in these!"

"You have so many clothes at home, Honoka". Umi sighed, "Now that you've bought more, where are you even going to store them?"

"Squeeze them all in my cabinet."

"Umi-chan, you should've bought the dresses here that you've tried." Kotori told the bluenette, "They all look so pretty on you."

"I have enough clothes in my room. I don't need so many." Umi chewed on her chicken meat, "Besides, I bought one of them. This dark blue dress. You told me it looks really beautiful on me, and I find it up to my standards, so..."

"Aw, Umi-chan, you want to seduce your future boyfriend with that dress, huh?" Honoka teased. Umi's cheeks immediately turned red and she looked away, "W...who said I was going to do that?"

Kotori just laughed and smiled at them. As they were eating, a song started playing in the restaurant. It is a R&B track, fused with dance and synthwave elements.

"This song sounds pretty great and it's so upbeat." Honoka said, "It reminds me of the old times. The instrumental sounds like something Maki-chan would compose. Do you know this singer, Kotori-chan?"

"Yeah, he's quite famous worldwide, and is known for always wearing a mask so as to not reveal his face." Kotori answered, "He's named The Man. His discography is filled with sad songs. For some reason, his real name isn't revealed, and his identity is unknown. When he appears in interviews, he'd always wear a mask and talk in a very deep voice. You should hear his songs, though. They are indeed very nice."

**\-----**

At night, Hiroshi drove to the beach to take a walk. He is still thinking about what Yosuke had said the day before. He stared at the ocean as the sound of the waves enveloped him.

Should he help Yosuke? His request seemed quite ridiculous. Both of them knew, for a fact, that µ's was a school idol group, and they disbanded because the third years graduated. The nine of them don't feel right even if any one of the members are missing

Yet, Yosuke wanted them to make a comeback. That sounded like an impossible task, or a mission that can't be completed, or even a job that seems unfeasible. But it just seems like. Nobody knows if it's not. Not even Hiroshi.

Hiroshi took out his phone and messaged Yosuke about the progress he made. Nothing is the latter's reply. He had gone to the hotel room that Honoka and Umi are currently staying in twice. Once in the morning, and once again a few minutes ago. He couldn't find them both times, and says that he'll continue the search tomorrow.

Hiroshi fished his wallet out of his pocket and took out a picture of him, Yosuke, and Posty. All three of them looked so happy and were full of smiles.

Hiroshi sighed and went into his car. He drove back to his home and then switched his laptop on. He went into the internet and typed 'µ's' into the search bar. Lots of their music videos and their Wikipedia page is there. He plugged his headphones in and listened to the songs while reading the information about µ's on the Wikipedia page and interviews the members did.

The next morning, Umi and Honoka went down to the first floor of the hotel to take their complimentary breakfast in the restaurant. It is like a buffet, allowing people to pick the food they would want to eat. The two girls took their plates and sat down at a table.

"Honoka, make sure you behave yourself today." Umi told her, "Kotori's bringing us to a play later. Do not go all crazy, alright? We don't want to embarrass ourselves in public."

"Alright, alright, Umi-chan, let's stop talking and start eating!" Honoka then chomped on her food quickly.

"Slow down, Honoka." Umi looked at her worriedly, "You're going to choke yourself if you gobble your food too fast!"

"It's fine! I always do this at home!" As soon as she said that, she ate a big bun with lotus paste and she started coughing.

"See? I told you." Umi quickly went to the drinks area and took a cup of wafer for her best friend, "Eat slowly. Enjoy the food. I know you're hungry, but we got a lot of time. We're not in a rush."

"You're right."

The restaurant then started playing a song very familiar to the two of them. No, it isn't music from The Man. It is 'Bokutachi wa Hitotsu no Hikari', a song sung by the school idol group µ's for their third and last Love Live competition.

"They're playing our song." Honoka started getting excited, "They're playing our song! In a foreign country!"

"Keep your voice down, Honoka!" Umi glared at her, "I don't want us to attract any attention."

"I can't help it. The people working in the hotel know µ's. That's why they're playing our song! I can't believe we have made such a great impact!"

The two girls then happily listened to their song. Once it ended, Honoka clutched her stomach and groaned softly, "Oh, crap."

"What happened?" Umi asked.

"I'm just having a bit of a stomach ache." Honoka stood up slowly, "I'm going to go up to our room's toilet to take a dump. I'm done with my breakfast. Once you're done, you can come up." Honoka then ran out of the restaurant and up to the room.

Hiroshi got into his car and called Yosuke.

"Are you still planning to find them today?" He asked.

"Of course." Youske responded, "I will do it all by myself, don't you worry. I'll get them back together as µ's, just you watch. I'll make sure the world gets to hear their music and appreciate them."

"You sure never learn to give up, even though you know the chance is absolutely zero."

"No, it's not. They all have passions for singing and dancing. They love it so much. It's in them. I can feel it. There's this tiny bit of chance that I can bring µ's back. As long as I try, there's a possibility. If I don't, it's a zero. I won't give up until they go back to Japan."

"You're going to their hotel room again today? To try your luck?"

"No, I'm not. I got some family matters to attend to today. Hopefully, I can get it as quick as possible."

"Is your brother causing trouble again?"

"Yeah. He punched an old lady because she cut his queue while he's buying some food." Yosuke sighed, "The police called us and asked his family members to come over to the station. Sometimes, I really wish my brother would learn to be a more mature man."

"He's your brother after all, so be a bit more gentle towards him." Hiroshi said, "Okay, I also got something to attend to. I'll talk to you later. Before that, can you tell me where you sent Honoka Kosaka and Umi Sonoda to?"

"Why do you need that?"

"I'm visiting my friend there." Hiroshi lied, "I'm going there to surprise her with her birthday gift. She also told me she saw the two of them in the lift lobby, so I guess she must be in the same hotel."

After a few minutes, Honoka is done with her business. She was about to sit down on her bed and watch a drama serial on her phone when someone knocked on the door.

"That must be Umi-chan." She thought. She skipped to the door and opened it. To her surprise, it is Hiroshi, the man who screamed at Umi the other night.

"Hey, you must be Honoka Kosaka." He said, "Can I have a word with you now?"


	3. Probably Not

Hiroshi drove to the hotel that Honoka Kosaka and Umi Sonoda are living in currently. With his lie, he managed to get the address from Yosuke.

He went to the receptionist and asked for Honoka's room number.

"I'm sorry, but are you a friend of Honoka Kosaka?" She questioned in English, "Because if you aren't, I can't disclose any information to you. You have to prove to me that you're her friend."

Hiroshi rolled her eyes and walked away. What proof does he have? His suit, perhaps? No. What about saying that Yosuke met them, and wants to be friends with them? That woman won't believe it anyway. He then saw Honoka rushing into the lift as the door closes.

He looked at the lift and the staircase. At that moment, he knew what to do. He ran up the stairs, stopping at each level to see if the lift ever opened its doors.

After a full minute of going up the staircase, he reached the tenth floor and saw Honoka walking through the hallway. He huffed and puffed as he saw her frantically taking out her room card. She taped it on the door and went in before closing it.

Hiroshi sat on the floor to catch his breath and rest from all that running. He then slowly walked to the room. Room 1010.

He knocked on the door and waited for a response. He could hear her loud footsteps. Honoka then opens the door and is surprised to see him standing outside.

"Hey, you must be Honoka Kosaka." He said, "Can I have a word with you now?"

"You...you are the man who screamed at Umi-chan." She pointed her finger at him, "Are you here to ask us for money? I thought your friend said that..."

"I'm here for something else." Hiroshi interrupted her, "No worries, I won't bite for today. Can I go in and talk to you about something? Please?"

"Okay." Honoka let him in and he sat down on a chair.

"Oh right, can I have a cup of water, please?" He asked, "I had a hard time chasing you. I haven't exercised in weeks."

"You were following me?" Honoka gave a disgusted look.

"Hey, I had no choice. That stupid receptionist didn't want to tell me which room you girls are in."

Honoka poured water in a cup and passed it to Hiroshi.

"So, what's the thing you wanted to say?" She queried.

"You belong to a group called µ's, right?" He drank a sip of his water, "In fact, you were the leader when it existed."

"Yes. Yes, I was."

"Well, then, what I am about to request might sound unreasonable, but I hope you can bear it and hear me out." He then stood up and went near Honoka's face, "I hope you can gather all the members and reform µ's."

Honoka is shocked, "R...reform?"

"My bad." Hiroshi backed away, "I need to use a toilet for a while. I'll be back once I'm done." He then went into the toilet and closed the door.

Honoka sat down on the bed and thought about it. Why would he want µ's to get back together? What is his motive? Although she knew how she's going to respond after this, she wanted to hear what Hiroshi had to say.

**\--µ's--**

After Hiroshi came back from the toilet, the two resumed talking.

"All I want is µ's to get back together." He explained, "I have done my research about you girls, and it seems like µ's was famous a few years ago. I've listened to some of your songs and they are quite nice. It would be nice for your music to be known around the world, and not just in Japan. Besides, your fans want you girls to be µ's again. They want µ's to keep on making music. Grant them their wish."

"In case you didn't know, we disbanded because three of us were graduating at that time." She replied, "Look at all of us now. It's definitely impossible. Each of us have our own lives. Most of us are busy with our own jobs. We don't even have the time to be idols anymore."

"Question is, are you enjoying them? I've seen from your interviews. You love dancing and singing, and you never want to give them up, didn't you? If you hold back against your dreams, you'll never be able to reach it. Besides, I have a record label. I can sign µ's under me. I can assure you your music will be listened to globally. You won't regret it."

"Umm, what do I call you?"

"Oh, just call me Hiroshi."

"Hiroshi-san, can't you see how hard it is to survive in this cold, cruel world?" Honoka asked, "We are no longer sixteen year olds. We are in our twenties. We can't do whatever we want anymore. We need a stable job with a stable pay. Cost of necessities is already so high, and it can still increase."

"You girls have talents though, and you can't let it go to waste." He retorted, "You and the other members can sing very well. You have charted songs in the Oricon chart, and even won one of the Love Live competitions. You girls dance like an expert too. I don't think it will..."

"Sorry, I'm just not interested in the offer." Honoka looked away, "If that's all you're here for, you can leave now."

"Convincing you is such a hard task." He muttered under his breath, "And Yosuke made it sound like some piece of cake. What the hell on Earth is he even thinking?"

"Huh?"

"You're missing out on a very good offer, but you decide." Hiroshi stood up, "It would be a shame if you were to give up this easily. You're basically giving up your wishes, ambitions, desires for a nine to five cashier job. I wouldn't sweep my talents under the rug if I were you. Singing in the streets was a good move, though."

"How did you know..."

"I have my ways." He then left the room. As he was walking to the lift through the hallway, he saw Umi. He just ignored her and walked past her. She looked at him before returning to her room.

"Honoka, I'm back." Umi voiced out, "What's that you're holding?" Honoka turned around and hid the name card in her pockets, "That's just a piece of paper I found in one of the cabinets in this room."

"Ah, I see." The bluenette sat down beside her, "I saw that stupid man while I was walking to our room earlier. If he didn't walk away quickly, I would've given him a slap on his face. He deserved it."

She then looked at Honoka, who was lost in her own thoughts, "Honoka?" The brown-haired woman didn't respond. She is too busy thinking about what Hiroshi had said to her.

"Honoka?" Umi snapped her fingers in front of Honoka's face. The latter turned to Umi, "I'm sorry, Umi-chan. What did you say earlier?"

"Are you okay, Honoka? You seem bothered by something."

"Am I? It's really nothing. You don't need to worry." Honoka smiled.

"If you say so." Umi said, "As I was saying, I saw that bastard a few minutes ago. I would've slapped him if he had stopped to talk to me again."

"Don't be so fed up by what he said. Let's just enjoy the rest of the days in America and then go home."

"You're right. I do not want to waste my energy hating on him." Umi replied, "I'll go and pack the stuff I need for later." She then went to her luggage. Honoka sighed and lied on her bed, contemplating if she should give it a try.

In the afternoon, Kotori brought Umi and Honoka to a theatre to watch the play. According to Kotori, it is a very popular play among Americans, and it is well-received and liked by many. Thus, she recommended it to them so that they could enjoy it.

During the play, Kotori and Umi took out their tissues and started crying. The two of them talked about the protagonist and his lover, who are separated because of social status, although they love each other deeply.

On the other hand, all Honoka could think of is the deal that Hiroshi offered. She wanted to forget about it initially, but her heart and mind are telling her no. For that whole two hours, she never concentrated on the performances by the actors. Instead, she placed it all on the offer.

After the play, Kotori is squealing in delight about how it is so entertaining and touching. Umi agreed without a doubt.

"What about you, Honoka-chan?" Kotori asked Honoka, "Did you like the play?"

"It's not bad." Honoka lied, knowing she didn't watch a single moment of it, "I'm sorry I won't be joining you two for dinner. I have to meet someone now. I'll see you later in the hotel room, Umi-chan."

Umi was about to ask her where she was going to go, but Honoka ran off so quickly she didn't have enough time to ask. "Umi-chan, what happened to Honoka-chan?" Kotori inquired. Umi shrugged her shoulders, unsure of what Honoka was doing.

In a restaurant, Hiroshi took his dinner with Yosuke, who just came back from settling his brother's issue in the police station.

"Man, it's such a long day!" He grumbled, "Cleaning after my brother's shit wasn't what I was looking forward to. I still can't believe he punched an old lady. He punched an old lady!"

"Relax, it's not like it's the first time you know your brother." Hiroshi said, "Little tolerance and has almost no patience. If things do not go his way, he flares up. After all, he's still your brother. Guide him and help him along the way."

"He got ten years. That's a hundred and twenty months, and that's also three thousand, six hundred and fifty days. That's a lot of time for him. I really feel like giving up on him."

"That's what you always say, but you ended up going back on your word. You continued to help him a lot by talking to him."

"What can I do, honestly? He's my family. I can't just leave him behind and let him rot on his own. I just can't do it."

"That's a good thing. Anyways, I went to find Honoka Kosaka today."

"Wait, is it because..."

"Yup, I tried convincing her to reunite µ's and its members."

"Holy shit, thanks for helping me, my man!" Yosuke patted Hiroshi's shoulder, "I knew you would do it, seeing me yearning for their return. I knew you won't leave me in the dust, and you would help me!"

"Don't make it sound like you're a genius, Yosuke. I merely helped because I see you wanting them to get back together so much. You've helped me greatly, so I guess I'd return the favor, and some of their songs are great too. Besides, don't thank me yet. You haven't heard her response yet."

"What was it?"

"It was a straight no from her."

"NO? HOW COULD SHE SAY THAT?" Yosuke screamed so loud the other customers stopped eating and turned to look at him.

"God damn it, Yosuke. Calm down." Hiroshi sighed, "From her reaction, I knew it was impossible to get µ's back together. I suggest you give up on that hope of yours."

"But..."

"Honoka declined the deal I gave her. What more can we do? We've tried. We did our best. We failed. Game over. Time to just give up on this."

"Why did she say no though? There has to be a reason she turned you down!"

"She said the society is getting rough. That's all. Well, I don't care what her damn reason was, and it's none of my business from now on. We got to leave it at that."

"Are we not really going to do anything else?" Yosuke lamented, "I feel so bothered just sitting down here. We gotta try harder."

"Yosuke, they already said no." Hiroshi drank his apple juice, "What are you going to do? Force them? Hold a knife at their throats? Haunt their family members down and threaten them?"

"Of course we ain't going to do unlawful stuff! Like maybe we can go and talk to them once more. Give them more reasons."

"What part of 'no' did you not fucking understand? Are you deaf? Do you have hearing problems? We gave it our all. We both went to their rooms. I talked to the leader. She rejected it. She said no. Since it came to that conclusion, let's put our focus on our own stuff now. I have to agree that µ's and their music are pretty great. It's their wish to disband and not get back together. Nothing good will come out of it if we force them. I don't like forcing people to do things they don't like too. I respect the decision."

"I guess you're right." Yosuke bemoaned, "We really did try our best. Maybe it was just my thinking. It's sad knowing µ's won't be reformed. I won't get to see them dancing and singing again."

"Let's not talk about it anymore. It's best to leave it as it is. We should enjoy our dinner. We forget about it, and then we go on with our normal lives."

"Alright."

"Perhaps you can tell your future daughter to start an idol group." Hiroshi said cheekily, "That will fulfill your wish, and then your fetish would be granted."

"Hiroshi Oshiro!"

**\-----**

Honoka is standing outside of a building. She looked at the name card Hiroshi had given her. It is the right address, and it is the right building too.

She walked in and looked around. It just looks like one of the lift lobbies of an apartment building. She went to the lift and looked at the card again.

"Level 13, unit 06." She muttered to herself. She then repeated it until she remembered it. She stepped into the elevator and pressed the '13' button.

Upon reaching the thirteenth floor, she walked to her left and found his room. She knocked on the door, "Hiroshi-san?"

No answer. She knocked on the door once again and waited. Nothing happened. Honoka glanced at the card and the room. It is indeed the exact same.

"Maybe he's out for dinner." Honoka thought, "It's okay. I can wait." She then sat down outside the room, "Am I making the right decision? Should I just turn around and go back to the hotel to meet Umi-chan?" She looked up at the sky and scratched her head.

In Tokyo, in an office building, a man looked outside of the window. He turned back to face a desk full of paperwork. He sighed and went to sit on his sofa. His sigh echoed through his office room.

"There's just so much things to do every day." The man complained, "Even at this timing, I'm still not done with this shit. People are eating their dinner, resting at home, or catching up with their friends. Meanwhile, I'm stuck in this pathetic room doing shit like allowing companies to sell their products in this shopping mall and handling the damn accounts. I'm so sick and tired of this. I'm so famished."

Someone then knocked the door.

"Come in!" He bellowed. Another man came in and brought him a file, "Boss Turner has requested me to bring you this, GM Alan. He wanted you to finish reading the file's contents and then end your work for the day. He also wants to meet you at the carpark in half an hour."

"Okay. You can leave now." Alan said. He opened the file and whined, "Not another potential company who plans to use our stage for an event. For a mini concert? Screw off. Declined!" He threw the file on the floor, "Bullshit. He could've obviously rejected it, but he gave it to me. Is he trying to give me more work?"

Two hours later, in America, Yosuke and Hiroshi bid each other farewell as they left the restaurant in their own cars. Hiroshi drove his Audi RS5 back to his home. He parked at the carpark nearby and walked out of it. As he was reaching his home, he saw Honoka leaning against his door, sleeping soundly.

He went to her and shook her body lightly, "Miss Honoka, please wake up." He continued to do so until she was awakened from her deep slumber.

"Ah, Hiroshi-san, you're back." She yawned.

"How long have you been waiting here?" He questioned her.

"Since seven, I guess." She stretched her arms and legs, "Can we talk inside your house? I feel uncomfortable sitting on the floor." Hiroshi nodded his head and let her in. She went to the kitchen to wash her face.

"Have you had your dinner yet?" Hiroshi looked at her. She shook her head, "I wanted to eat while waiting for you, but I waited so long that I fell asleep. I'm sorry for doing so."

"Don't be apologetic for this. There's not a need. I should be the one apologizing. I let you wait outside for quite long." Hiroshi took out a packet of instant noodles, "Sit at the table. I'll whip up some noodles for you."

"It's okay. I..."

"Not having dinner is a bad thing for your body. Starving yourself will do you no good." Hiroshi replied. Honoka nodded her head and waited for him to be done.

After a few minutes, he brought the plate of noodles to her, and she quickly slurped it.

"Eat slowly." Hiroshi told her, "You're gonna choke if you eat so fast."

"You're just like Umi-chan." Honoka commented, "You two said the same thing to me."

"Ah, I see." Hiroshi said, "So, I assumed you have an answer since you came all the way here."

"I have decided that I will accept your deal once I get the other eight members on board." Honoka responded.

"Well, why did you agree to it? I thought you were against it in the first place."

Honoka stopped eating and looked at him, "Even though µ's disbanded, I still wanted to be an idol so badly. I loved singing and dancing too much. As you know, I sang in the streets before. I wanted to relieve those moments of singing in front of a crowd. If my passion could bring me anywhere, I would've continued. It's just...the cost of living that I'm worrying about. This trip to America cost me a lot. After this trip, I have to work as hard as possible to earn back all that I've spent these five days. Earlier, when we were still in Japan, Umi-chan asked me if I missed the moments when µ's were together. I still do. I yearn for it."

She sighed before she extended her hand towards him, "I do hope you can help me, and help µ's. To a happy partnership. I look forward to working with you."

Hiroshi nodded his head and shook hands with her, "You will not regret it."

One member down, eight more to go. Having the leader should make it easier. Or  _ does it _ ?


	4. Convincing Is The Hard Part

In the hotel room, Kotori waited with Umi for Honoka to come back. The latter is pacing up and down the room, feeling very worried and anxious. It was ten in the night, and Honoka had not been back.

"It's already so late. Where could she be?" Umi asked worriedly, "I'm really scared for her."

"Cool down, Umi-chan." Kotori comforted her best friend, "I'm sure she will come back safe and sound."

"What happens...if she gets attacked on the way here? Or she gets kidnapped and raped? Or even get sold to other countries as a prostitute?!"

"Have you been watching too much drama serials, Umi-chan?" Kotori nervously smiled, "I don't think it's that serious. Besides..."

"I'm back!" Honoka opened the door and came into the room, "I'm sorry for coming back at this time."

"Where...have...you...been..." Umi looked down on the floor.

"Well, I..."

"Did you know how worried I was?!" Umi screamed at her, tears falling from her eyes, "I was so scared! I thought I was going to lose you!" She then ran to Honoka and hugged her.

"I'm sorry, Umi-chan." Honoka patted her shoulder, "I made you worried again."

"Honoka-chan, don't just run off next time without telling us where you're going." Kotori said, "That way, we all can be relieved knowing you're safe."

"Alright, thanks." Honoka let go of Umi.

"Where did you go, though?" Umi questioned, "You sure stayed there for very long. Is it your friend?"

"I went to find a record label boss."

"A record label boss?" Kotori asked, "Honoka-chan, why did you go to find a record label boss? Are you starting up on your own music?"

"About that..."

"You didn't tell me anything about you starting a solo music career." Umi said, "But I think that's a very good move. You finally found a job for yourself."

"Listen, girls." Honoka said, "I went to find him not because I wanted to start a solo career by my own. I went there because he told me he wanted µ's to reform."

Umi and Kotori looked at her with surprise.

"He told me that if I hold back against my dreams, I wouldn't be able to reach it." Honoka continued, "He also told me he has a record label to help us promote our music globally. He said we have talents and that we can't let it go to waste."

"Now that I think about it, I have been approached by one before." Kotori said, "I rejected him, saying that I had no time for him."

Umi looked at Honoka, "Honoka, don't mind me, but I have something to say. I think reforming µ's isn't a good idea at all."

"Huh? Why though?" Honoka asked, "I think this is a great opportunity. We all like being idols, and we could give this a shot."

"Do you really think we could do that?" Umi questioned, "Think about it, Honoka. What happens if we do get back together and make music? We do have a fanbase, but it's not that big either. Do you ever think we could make money off that to pay for our bills and taxes? We don't even have much popularity outside of Japan, so our songs won't get much profit. Plus, if we were to ever be signed to a record label, part of our profits will be taken away. It's better to stick to our jobs now. At least we have a stable income."

"I have to agree, Honoka-chan." Kotori said, "Let's just play safe."

"Kotori-chan, Umi-chan, we should at least give it a try before giving up." Honoka retorted, "Look at all the groups in the music industry now! They're all shining! Both in Japan and America! Their songs are famous and they are well-known too! It's all because they tried and that's why they're successful! µ's was a famous group last time, and we can do it again! We can bring back the glory of µ's!"

"Don't you know that there are also lots of them who failed after they released a few songs because they were not popular or not appealing?" Umi talked back, "Not just that, some of them failed so miserably that they lost a lot of money because they gave it their all in their singing career, which takes them years to get it back! We might have our fame last time, but we might have also lost some of our fans because µ's had disbanded seven years ago. How do you know we'll not be like those failing groups?"

"At least when we try, we got a chance to be famous again! We get to do what we love to do! Not those office jobs, or even my cashier job! I know you don't like them."

"I don't, but what can I do? I get my salary from it, and it's enough for me."

"Why are you trying to convince us, Honoka-chan?" Kotori sighed, "Did you..."

"Yes, I accepted his deal."

Umi glared at Honoka while Kotori did a facepalm.

"Why didn't you discuss this with us before you make the decision?" Umi growled, "Now you made such a big mistake, and we can't help you. Me and Kotori aren't going to go with your idea to reform µ's. You're going to get yourself out of your mess. I ain't helping you out." She then went into the toilet and closed the door.

"I'm sorry, Honoka-chan." Kotori stood up, "I can't help you either. I'll see you tomorrow during dinner." She then walked out of the room.

Honoka sat down on her bed and thought if she made the right decision.

**\--µ's--**

In Hiroshi's home, he and Yosuke are having toast and bacon for breakfast. They discussed what had happened the previous day.

"She agreed?" Yosuke is surprised, "I got to admit, Hiroshi. You have some convincing skills. It’s no wonder you’re dubbed 'The Convincer' by your blonde friend. You managed to sway that brother of yours to stop smoking. Not even I could pull off that feat."

"Well, it's the choice of words." Hiroshi replied, "From now onwards, it's going to be hard for me to try and convince the rest. Not everyone will be eager to join, trust me."

"What makes you say that?"

"Like what Honoka said, cost of living made them stick to their job. There's a reason why they never reformed even when they had the time after graduation from university. They think their singing wouldn't get them anywhere."

"It's true." Yosuke sighed, "I only found it out because I found µ's on a magazine my mother bought years ago. They aren't famous outside of Japan. Their singles won't sell much, probably."

"Remember their purpose?" Hiroshi asked, "They formed to help Otonokizaka High from shutting down. They have fulfilled that goal, so it seems fair that they didn't want to continue on their legacy."

"I agree." As soon as Yosuke said that, someone knocked on the door. Hiroshi got up from his seat and opened the door. It is Honoka.

"Come in." Hiroshi told her. She walked in and sat beside Yosuke while Hiroshi closed the door.

"Honoka-chan, thanks for agreeing to work with Hiroshi." Yosuke said excitedly.

"Don't be happy too early." Honoka sighed, "I told this to Umi-chan and Kotori-chan, and they don't support the idea of it. I don't know how to convince them."

"That blue haired woman is such a hard bitch to convince." Hiroshi muttered to himself.

"What did you say?"

"Oh, nothing. Just telling myself your friend is hard to convince."

"I honestly don't know how to make them agree to this. The main reason is that they didn't want to quit their daytime jobs as they rather have stable salaries. They don't want to risk what they have now for this."

"Even though I'm going to help them? They're really scaredy cats. Are they even scared of me because I screamed at their faces that time?"

"You can't really blame them. I understand how they feel. They're being very cautious."

"If they're going to stay in their safety zones forever, they're never going to reach new heights and achieve what they want. You girls had fame last time, and now you still have fans, like Yosuke here."

"I think we should find them and talk to them." Yosuke suggested, "We can discuss it with them."

"I don't know if a second time will work." Honoka hung her head down.

"We'll try again." Yosuke replied, "If this doesn't work, we'll not reform µ's anymore. Then maybe you can have a solo career."

"That's surprising coming from you." Hiroshi said, "You are the one who wanted me to reform µ's after all."

Honoka looked at Yosuke, "Wait, you wanted it..."

"Yeah." Yosuke sighed, "As I told you, Honoka-chan, I'm a big fan of µ's. I wanted to see µ's again. I really like your music. It would be good to relieve some memories from the past too."

Honoka stood up and patted Yosuke's shoulder, "Now I'm pumped up! Let's go and find them! We're definitely going to convince them!"

"What's gotten into you?" Hiroshi asked.

"I shouldn't let a fan down, can I?" Honoka answered, "I cannot bear to disappoint Lee-san. Hiroshi-san, just wait until you hear the good news! Let's go and find them, Lee-san!" She then hopped happily out of the house.

"Yosuke, I don't think it will go well, considering what Honoka said about your favorite girl." Hiroshi told him, "Don't expect much from the two of them. Comfort Honoka when she fails to convince them, alright?"

"Got it." Yosuke smiled, "This reminded me of your brother. He told me to accompany you to your job interview and comfort you if you didn't get it. You're just as thoughtful as him." He then went after Honoka. Hiroshi sat down on his couch and looked at the same photo he took out two nights ago.

Honoka ran to the door, "By the way, I didn't eat my breakfast at all this morning. Do you have any bread for me to eat?"

"You must be joking."

In the fashion company shop that Kotori works in, she recommended some clothes to some of the customers. She explained the types of the dresses and the materials used to make it.

During her lunch break, she sat down in a food court to eat. She chomped her curry katsu rice and slurped her grape juice down. She felt so thirsty and hungry after talking to so many customers. She looked at her watch and realized she got only a good amount of time left before her break's over.

"Kotori!" She heard a familiar voice calling out for her. She looked up and saw Umi walking towards her.

"Umi-chan, what are you doing here?" The woman with khaki-colored hair is surprised to see her best friend here.

"I'm here to find you, because I want to talk to you about something." The bluenette replied.

"Oh, it's about Honoka-chan, right?"

"Yeah."

"By the way, have you told her that you came here?"

"She told me she was going to visit the manager early in the morning, and she went off without me. I don't know what Honoka is honestly thinking. We are no longer young. We have no time to do any dancing or singing freely. She always comes up with some stupid ideas without even thinking."

"You're right, Umi-chan." Kotori replied, "Honoka-chan is always like that. She even pulls us along. She manages to always talk us into doing the things she wants to do. But...did we regret it? I certainly did not."

"Me neither."

"When she first started µ's, we didn't want to join it." Kotori said, "You even rejected the idea and told her it ain't going to work. However, when we became school idols with her, we were taken to places we have never reached before, all because we lack courage. Something that seemed so impossible was made possible by Honoka-chan. I enjoyed all those times dancing, singing, coming up with costumes for us to wear. I probably wouldn't have such a fun time in high school if it wasn't for her crazy ideas."

Kotori then took out a letter and passed it to her.

"This..." Umi looked at it with shock.

"...is my resignation letter." Kotori explained, "I'm going to quit my job. I want to join Honoka-chan in reuniting µ's. I like being an idol after all. I have faith in what she said. We could bring its former glory back."

"Won't your mother disapprove of this?"

"I told her about it. She seemed a little unhappy, but was happy that µ's is going to be back together again. So, what's your choice, Umi-chan?"

She looked at Kotori before sighing, "I'm still unsure. I don't know if I can sacrifice my job for this. Not that I don't trust Honoka, but..."

"I understand." Kotori patted her shoulder, "Take your time. It would be the best if you join. µ's won't be complete without you."

"Kotori-chan! Umi-chan!" Yosuke ran into the food court and stopped beside them. He is huffing in and out.

"Oh, it's you." Kotori smiled, "The guy I met in the restaurant."

"You looked like you ran a marathon, Lee-san." Umi said, "What's the matter?"

"Honoka-chan and I are searching for you girls." Yosuke answered, "But I finally found the two of you. I think you know why we're looking for you."

"We do." Kotori responded.

"I'll be taking my leave first." Umi stood up, "I'll see you tonight, Kotori." She then walked away. A few minutes later, Honoka rushed into the food court and went to Kotori.

"Kotori-chan..." Honoka was about to speak when Kotori looked at her and grinned, "Yes, yes. I will join you, Honoka-chan."

"Really? Thank you, Kotori-chan!" Honoka squealed in delight as she hugged Kotori tightly.

"Umi-chan just left though." Yosuke told Honoka, "Kotori-chan, does she not want to join?"

"She's conflicted." Kotori rejoined, "She wants to be an idol again. She loves it so much even though she doesn't say it. She wants to be with me and Honoka-chan. However, she is scared that we might not earn much from making music and dancing in front of a crowd. She's just being wary by keeping her current job."

"But µ's won't be complete without her!" Honoka whined.

"She's very realistic, I see. We'll find a way to convince her, I promise." Yosuke assured the two.

"Wait, Honoka-chan, who's the manager?" Kotori asked. Honoka and Yosuke looked at each other before looking at her.

"Did you tell her?" Yosuke questioned Honoka.

"I only told them about the deal, not the manager." She replied, "Let's bring her to his house and discuss how we're going to convince Umi-chan!"

**\-----**

In Umi's hotel room, she sat on her bed, thinking if she should join Honoka and Kotori. She really wanted it to be like the old times. Being a carefree person. Dancing and singing with no worries. Doing something with her best friends again.

She sighed and lied down on the bed. Too bad she has to stick to her job. She couldn't afford to gamble her chances on earning her salary through a music career. She has seen a lot of failures of other music groups through the news, and she didn't want µ's to go through the same route. She rather keeps its former glory than to reform it and let it fade into obscurity.

She then heard someone knock on the door. Before she could open the door, Honoka beat her to it, and allowed Kotori, Yosuke, and Hiroshi to come in.

"What's that man doing here?" Umi pointed at Hiroshi, "And what are you guys doing here?"

"Look, Ms Umi Sonoda, right?" Hiroshi straightened his suit, "I heard your friends are having a hard time convincing you to join µ's."

"And so what? It's none of your business." Umi folded her arms.

"Umi-chan, Hiroshi-san's the manager." Honoka said. Umi stood up and looked at him in shock.

"Look, Umi, I don't care whether you think I am one or not. I am the record label manager, and I wish for µ's to reform."

"Why would you want that? You were so rude to us, and you even wanted us to pay up. I bet this is your way of getting money from us."

"Why the hell would I take money from you this way?" Hiroshi asked, "I could've reported you to the police if I wanted compensation. But I didn't. Besides, didn't you love to be an idol?"

"And you think that is an excuse for me to join?"

"I don't. I just think you have no faith in yourself."

Umi looked at him.

"You're scared µ's is going to tumble down and fall down the cracks if it is reformed." Hiroshi continued, "You should believe that µ's is going to succeed. After all, it did last time. It got famous. And it's not just Honoka's work or Kotori's work. Everyone played their part to get µ's to where it was. It's all because of the love of idols you girls have. As I told Honoka the other day, your dreams won't come to you if you don't step up and reach for it. Fans of µ's have been waiting for this moment. They would be so happy to see you get back together. Besides, you like being an idol so much like everyone else in µ's. Surely you won't miss this chance?"

"I really want to, but..."

"Right." Hiroshi interrupted her, "I can guarantee that µ's won't fail. I promise I'll promote you and your music all over the world. However, in case it does fail, I'll give you a hundred million yen each. How about that? Same goes to Honoka and Kotori, and the rest of the members."

"Hiroshi..." Yosuke is speechless.

"I'm even willing to bet my life on this." Hiroshi added on, "So, what's your decision?"

"Umi-chan, _onegai_!" Kotori pleaded Umi with puppy eyes. Umi sighed, "Fine. I'll join in."

Honoka jumped in joy and went to hug her while Kotori went to her and beamed from ear to ear. Umi smiled and the three girls got into a group hug.

"Oh, that's so sweet." Yosuke grinned at them before whispering to Hiroshi, "You're really good at talking. Teach me that skill sometime."

"You can learn that yourself." Hiroshi responded, "Bring them to my house. They're going to sign the contract, and then we'll be off to Japan to find the rest of them."

He then walked out of the room. Yosuke looked at him, "Jeez, I don't understand him sometimes. Hisashi, why do you have to leave him to me?"


	5. Reunions

At night, Honoka, Umi, Kotori, and Yosuke are having dinner together in a restaurant.

"Since you all agreed to the deal," Yosuke announced, "Order anything you want on the menu! It's my treat!"

"The dishes in this restaurant are expensive, Lee-san." Umi said, "Are you sure you want to treat us? We can pay for our own meals. Working as a taxi driver is tough. Are you..."

"I became a taxi driver because I had nothing better to do." Yosuke replied, "I am actually the manager of a musician named The Man. Have you heard of him?"

"Of course, Lee-san!" Kotori exclaimed, "He's known in many countries for his R&B and emotional songs! He's a really great singer, and I didn't know you are his manager! You're really doing a good job promoting his songs!"

"It's nothing. He's a very close friend of mine, so I'm trying my best to make his music known worldwide. And call me by my first name. I don't really being really formal with people I know."

"I see." Honoka said, "Yosuke-san!"

"Are you really a big fan of µ's, Yosuke-san?" Kotori questioned, "I've heard from Umi-chan and Honoka-chan that you love listening to our music."

"It's true." Yosuke grinned, "You have no idea how much I love your music and your dancing. You girls look so awesome dancing, and your voices are melodic! In fact, I'm super elated to be meeting you girls and talking to you! I have never thought to sit down with the trio who started µ's and even have a talk with them! You girls are really my idols! I really am happy to see µ's get reunited! It is a wish come true! It would be a godly sight to see!"

"He showed me pictures of his room." Honoka added on, "He has all of our music stored in a CD, and he even has posters of us. He's a hardcore fan."

"Well, I'm glad to be fulfilling someone's wish." Umi smiled at him, "Thanks for supporting us all the way. We really appreciate it."

"Don't sweat it, Umi-chan."

"He even said Umi-chan is cute." Honoka gave a cheeky smile. Umi's cheeks immediately turned red.

"Aww, that's so sweet, Yosuke-san." Kotori told him, "So I assume that you like Umi-chan the most out of the nine members?"

Yosuke nodded his head in response, "It's not like I dislike any of the other members in the group. You are all pretty in your own ways. But, to me, Umi-chan is my favorite girl because she is so cute and beautiful."

"Aww." Kotori and Honoka said in unison while Umi's cheeks blushed madly this time.

"By the way, where's Hiroshi-san?" Honoka asked, "Why didn't he join us for dinner?"

"Well, he's currently busy with something."

In a home, a man passed Hiroshi a diamond necklace.

"This is your mother's diamond necklace." The man told him, "She gave it to me when I used to work for her. She said this is a gift for me as I helped her a lot. I initially rejected it, because I felt I was just doing my job as her songwriter. She told me that it can be given to either of her sons if I feel bad about it. Years later, I finally found you. Had it not been for Mr Patrick Turner, I wouldn't be able to find you. Sorry if I called you here just to return this, because I feel really bad keeping it."

"It's okay, Mr Abel." Hiroshi replied, "It's perfectly fine."

"Your mother's a really good woman." Abel said, "She was kind to everyone around her. She was really sweet too. Your brother too. I have worked with him a few times, and he's a really good singer like your mother. It's sad to hear them both pass away at such a young age. The time where they could blow up in the music industry."

Hiroshi stood up, "I'll be leaving first. Thanks for the dinner too, Mr Abel."

"No problem."

As Hiroshi walked out of the house, he looked at the necklace.

"Will I be like them?" He thought, "Will I get it too?"

**\--µ's--**

_Thirteen years ago, a woman was lying on the hospital bed with a lot of tubes connected to her. Hiroshi and his brother held the woman's hand._

_"Mummy, are you okay?" Hiroshi asked, "Are you going to leave us?" The woman smiled weakly at the two of them, "No, darling. I'm here to stay. Don't think so negatively, alright? Always look at life positively."_

_His older brother was about to say something, but she shook her head. He kept his mouth shut and started sniffling._

_She looked at Hiroshi and caressed his hair with her hands, "You don't have to worry about me. I will be fine. I will recover. No worries."_

Back to the present, he leaned back against a chair in his house. His mother died a few hours later, as the surgery was unsuccessful.

Yosuke opened the door and saw Hiroshi looking listless.

"Yo, dude. You okay?" He went to his best friend and looked at him worriedly. Hiroshi looked at him, "Does it look like I'm going to die?"

Yosuke shook his head.

"There you go." Hiroshi said, "Your answer is there."

"How's the visit to Abel's house?" Yosuke asked, "You didn't think about..."

"...my mother's death. I love how she told me to look at life on the bright side, and then pass away from stage four cancer during the surgery. I don't know how I'm supposed to be looking up."

"Look, your mother's right. You've always looked at the bad aspects of life. Why don't you take a better approach towards life?"

"Has anything good happened to me? No, it hasn't."

"You're your own record label boss, and a famous singer around the world." Yosuke shook his body, "You're the man. Like, you're actually The Man, literally and figuratively! One of the well-known singers around the world! Anyone would want to switch places with you right now. Even me."

"You're my damn manager. You have all the good shit too." Hiroshi smirked, "You think I would trust anyone else to be my manager? Consider yourself lucky, because you and I have a very close relationship."

"Yeah, yeah." Yosuke smiled, "We're brothers. See, this is a good life. You have a blossoming career, and you have a great friend like me as your manager and a brother. Not everyone has a best friend, a highly paid job, or a record label like you. Learn to see life as awesome. Like what Emmet Brickowski in The Lego Movie said, 'everything is awesome!'."

"You're funny sometimes, and cringe too." Hiroshi laughed a little, "How's the dinner with the girls? You must have enjoyed it a lot, because you're with your favorite idol."

"Of course, you don't need to say it out at all." Yosuke grinned, "My heart was beating so fast when I looked at Umi. Holy shit, she's so freaking pretty, cute, and beautiful! She's like my dream girl! When we had a hearty talk, I felt like I was blessed! It felt like I was in heaven!"

"No dirty thoughts?" Hiroshi gave a cheeky look.

"You pervert! Never! I respect women! But, thanks, bro. You have no idea how thankful I am for letting me meet my dream idols. It is my lifetime wish, and you helped me grant it. I really can't thank you enough."

"Alright, don't thank me so much. You helped me and my brother so much throughout our lives. How can I not return the favor? Besides, like you say, we're brothers. Brothers are supposed to help each other, right? Just help me think of some song ideas when I need it."

"You got it, boss!" Yosuke slapped his shoulder, which caused him to groan in pain. The next morning, Yosuke and Hiroshi sent Honoka, Umi, and Kotori to the airport.

"You girls should go back and meet up with your parents." Hiroshi said, "I'll be going back to Japan tomorrow as I need to settle some things. If you can, please help me to locate where the rest of the µ's members are. We will definitely need them."

"No problem!" Honoka exclaimed. The three girls then waved goodbye before going into the departure hall. Yosuke looked at Hiroshi, "Why are we not going today though? Don't you have a private plane? We can fly to Tokyo straight away."

"It's all thanks to you, Mister Manager." He replied, "You have clearly forgotten you arranged an interview for me in the afternoon about my new song."

"Oh yeah, right." Yosuke let out a nervous laugh, "Guess I'm getting older, and my brain isn't functioning properly anymore."

"Don't curse yourself." Hiroshi then walked away. Yosuke smiled and went to catch up with him.

Thirteen hours later, the plane from America had touched down on Tokyo's airport runway. It is currently eleven in the morning in Tokyo.

Once the three girls got out of the arrival hall, they saw Akiyoshi and Yukiho. Honoka ran forward to hug her boyfriend.

"I missed you so much, Akiyoshi-san!" Honoka whined, "I really, really, really missed you so much!"

"Me too, Honoka." Akiyoshi rubbed her head. Yukiho crossed her arms and shook her head, "Instead of saying hi to her own sister, she hugs her own boyfriend and ignores me. So much for my help."

"I'm sorry, Yukiho." Honoka went to her, "I missed Akiyoshi-san so much! And I missed you too, and Okaa-san and Otou-san too! Thanks for helping me with the shop! But, I think I'm going to be busy with something else."

The five of them ate their lunch in a fast food restaurant. Upon hearing Honoka explain about what had happened in America, her younger sister looked at her in surprise.

"You're getting back all the members of µ's?" She asked. Umi nodded her head, "Honestly, we're all quite excited for this."

"We haven't found the rest of the members yet." Kotori added on.

"Then, where's your manager?" Yukiho questioned, "Why isn't he with you?"

"He said he got some things to handle, so he'll be here by tomorrow morning." Honoka then turned to Akiyoshi, "Akiyoshi-san, what are you so busy with? From the airport, you've been texting non-stop. Would you not want to spend time with your girlfriend?"

Akiyoshi put his phone down and placed his hand around her shoulder as she pouted, "My dear Honoka, I didn't mean to text so much. My work boss is being a dick right now, commanding me to do so much. I'm trying to negotiate the workload so that I can spend more time with you."

"Aw, your boyfriend's so sweet, Honoka-chan." Kotori uttered, "I wish I had a boyfriend too."

"You'll get one soon, Kotori-chan. You're so cute and pretty. Which guy wouldn't want you?"

"Do you have suitors in America though, Kotori?" Umi asked. Kotori sighed as she ate her hamburger, "Lots of them. I rejected them. They're not my type at all."

After lunch, Honoka and Yukiho went back to their home to tell their parents about it. Mrs Honoka did not initially approve of Honoka getting into µ's again. She didn't want her own daughter getting into something that doesn't benefit her well. However, with Mr Honoka's talk about letting their daughters choose what they want to do, and Honoka's persuasion, she gave in and agreed.

Honoka then went up to her room and slumped onto her bed. She is relieved that her parents are willing to let her pursue her dreams again. She just needs to give it her all now, so that her parents can see that she's serious about it.

**\-----**

At night, Honoka invited Umi and Kotori into her room. She had wanted to go on a date with Akiyoshi, but he had work. Since she has time now, she wants to make use of it to find the remaining members.

"Where do we start?" She asked the other two, "The first years or the third years?"

"The first years...Rin and Hanayo should be easy to find." Umi voiced out, "But Maki's going to be hard to convince. She owns her family's hospital after all. She can't just quit her job and join us."

"I don't know if we even keep in contact with the third-years." Kotori looked at her phone, "The last one I saw was Eli-chan. Last seen her before I went overseas. Then I never heard from any one of the other six."

"Not even Nico-chan?" Honoka questioned. Kotori shook her head in response.

"Well, she certainly disappeared after telling us that she wanted to become a real idol." Umi sighed.

"I wonder how she's even doing right now." Honoka stuffed a strawberry into her mouth, "Even if she is an idol now, I have not heard of her anywhere."

"Okay, we're going to be off-topic if we continue to talk about Nico-chan's whereabouts." Umi sternly said, "Let's try to think of who we can find first."

"Probably Rin-chan and Hanayo-chan." Kotori suggested, "They're the easiest to find. I heard Rin-chan's working in a cat shelter. I don't know about Hanayo-chan."

"Let's start with Rin-chan then." Umi declared, "Are there any cat shelters around here, Honoka?"

"I don't remember one near my house." Honoka replied, "However, I've been to this one that's quite near to our house. Akiyoshi-san wanted to have a cat, so he brought me there so that we can pick one for him."

"Where is it? And how far is it?"

"20 minutes from here with a car. I can't drive as I have no driving license. Kotori-chan does not have a car here. Umi-chan, do you have a car and a driving license?"

"I..." Umi looked at the two of them, who were staring at her, expecting a positive answer.

"I...have none of them."

The three girls sighed before Honoka spoke up, "Alright, I'll try to call up Akiyoshi-san tomorrow. What time should we go there?"

"Ten in the morning would be a good idea." Kotori said, "Not only is it early, it is also before lunch break, and we should be able to see Rin-chan if she's working."

"Good timing, Kotori-chan!" Honoka exclaimed, "Let's get the rest of the group back, and reignite our passions for idols!" Kotori and Umi nodded their heads in agreement.

The next morning, Akiysohi drove the three women to the cat shelter.

"What's the deal of going there?" He asked Honoka, who is on the front seat.

"As I told you yesterday, we're reforming µ's, so we need to find the rest of the members." She replied, "I remember telling you about µ's before, right?"

"Yeah, you did." He spoke, "It's some idol group that you made during your high school days."

"It's not just _any_ school idol group, it was a group filled with girls who loved to dance and sing! We even saved our school from closing down, so it's not some normal group!"

"Alright, Honoka, relax. I get it."

Once they reached the cat shelter, Honoka, Umi, and Kotori went into it and saw a lot of cats. A woman went to them.

"Hello, ladies." She said, "May I get you to adopt a cat?"

"Do you know a woman named Rin Hoshizora?" Umi took out a photo of high-school Rin, "She looks something like this. Have you seen her before or know her?" The woman shook her head. The trio thanked her before walking out.

"That's one cat shelter down." Kotori sighed, "A few more to go."

"I guess she might be living in a different part of Japan." Umi said, "Hopefully she's still in Tokyo, or we'll have a hard time finding her."

"Imagine going around Japan just for one person." Kotori complained, "It's like we're conducting a search for a missing person. We might just die out of exhaustion."

"What happens if the rest are hard to find too?" Umi whined, "Don't we have to repeat this process over and over again? Ughh, why does finding the members have to be so hard? Why did Hiroshi-san give us such a hard job to do? Why isn't he here yet to help us?"

"C'mon, let's stop wasting time complaining about this." Honoka patted their shoulders, "We should make use of the time and my boyfriend's car to find the cat shelter Rin-chan's working at. If we were to talk all day, we wouldn't get the job done." Umi and Kotori groaned.

In Kyoto, Hiroshi got into a taxi and told the driver to send him to his destination. He is tired as he had just reached Kyoto a few minutes ago and hadn't had a good sleep in his private plane. He was too busy watching movies and live performances of µ's that he didn't get any sleep. His back felt painful from all the lying down too. Nevertheless, he ignored it.

A few minutes later, he reached the place he wanted to be at. He got off the taxi and looked at the house in front of him. He pressed on the doorbell and waited. No response. He pressed it once again, but there is still no response.

"Strange, is this the right place?" He took his phone out and looked at the address he typed in his phone notes. It is indeed correct. He scratched his head in confusion. Maybe she had gone out to buy some groceries. He sat down on the floor and leaned against the wall to sleep while waiting.

A few minutes later, he felt someone tapping his shoulder. He yawned and opened his eyes as he saw a woman with blonde hair standing in front of him, looking at him. She is wearing a casual pink shirt and a blue skirt, and a pair of sunglasses too.

"Took you long enough, slowpoke." He grumbled before standing up, "You made me think I was at the wrong house."

She then removed her sunglasses, revealing herself to be none other than Eli Ayase. She smiled at him, "Sorry to keep you waiting, Hiroshi. I was drying my hair just now. Let's go in for a chat, shall we?"


	6. The Search For RinPana

_ Three years ago, Posty and Hiroshi waited backstage after the former's performance. Posty had just announced the winners of a lucky draw, and the security guards would escort them to the backstage. To get into the lucky draw, people would just have to buy a ticket online for the tour. Two winners would be chosen at random by Posty, and they would be able to hang out with him and The Man for a day. _

_ "Do you really have nothing better to do?" Hiroshi asked, "And even if you wanted to do this, why did you drag me into it? I wanted to record some music for my album too." _

_ "C'mon, brother. You won't know that my fans might be your fans when they hang out with you." Posty patted Hiroshi's shoulder, "Besides, I want to get to know my fans better. Bear with me." _

_ The guards arrived at the scene with two women. One with blonde hair tied into a ponytail, another with purple hair tied into two pigtails. _

_ "Welcome, ladies!" Posty hugged each of them, "Congratulations for winning the lucky draw! You'll be hanging out with me next Wednesday. Are you both free on that day?" _

_ The two women nodded their heads. _

_ "Alright, I'm glad it is." Posty smiled, "Oh right, introduce yourselves so that it'll be easier for us to communicate. As you know, I'm Posty. And this is The Man. Call him Man." _

_ "I am Eli Ayase, but you can just call me Eli." The blonde woman introduced herself with an excited smile plastered on her face. _

_ "I am Nozomi Tojo, you guys can call me Nozomi." The purple-haired woman said, "I'm Eli-chi's friend." _

_ "Well, nice to meet you, you two beautiful ladies." Posty grinned at them, "I'll send you the meet-up place through your emails. I'm looking forward to the day we meet." _

_ "Me too!" Eli said with glee. _

_ Soon, that Wednesday came earlier than expected. Eli and Nozomi met up with Posty and Hiroshi in a shopping mall. For the rest of the day, they went shopping for clothes, jewelry, and shoes. Posty volunteered to pay for everything, so he told the two girls to choose whatever they want. After eating lunch and talking about their lives at a fancy restaurant, they went to the arcade to play some games. _

_ They also went to a karaoke bar to sing some karaoke. Posty and Hiroshi had a singing competition. Whoever gets the lowest score has to treat the other three dinners. Eli went to Posty's side while Nozomi went to Hiroshi. In the end, despite Hiroshi's hard efforts, he lost. He sighed as Posty and Eli jumped in joy and high-fived each other. _

_ During dinner, Posty had to go to the toilet. While he was in the toilet, Hiroshi looked at the two women. _

_ "Did you girls have fun today?" He asked. _

_ "Yes, I did." Eli replied, "Thank you, Man-san." _

_ "Of course Eli-chi had fun, Man-san." Nozomi smiled, "She's enjoying time with her crush." _

_ "Nozomi..." _

_ "You like Posty?" Hiroshi asked. Eli tried talking, but all she could was stutter as Nozomi helped her answer, "Hehe, she had a big time crush on him. To her, he looks so dashing and his voice is soothing. She always watches his music videos just to see him. Now that she is meeting him in person now, she's so excited and elated." _

_ "Nozomi!" Eli's face turned tomato red, "Can you not say that out loud?" _

_ "I'm back." Posty sat beside Eli and looked at her, "Ayase-chan, why is your face so red? Did you eat something spicy?" _

_ "N...n...no." Eli looked away while Nozomi laughed. After dinner, the four of them took a picture together. Before Hiroshi and Posty left, Eli ran to the latter. _

_ "Can I take a photo with you?" Eli asked, "And can I have your phone number? I would really love to talk to you." _

_ Hiroshi is taken aback by what she said, "Wow, erm..." _

_ "A photo would be nice." Posty responded, "And having one extra friend would be great." He passed her phone to Hiroshi, "Help us take a photo." _

_ Eli placed her hand around Posty's stomach and leaned her head against his arm. He placed his hand over her shoulder and signaled for Hiroshi to take the picture. _

_ And so, the picture was taken. _

**\--µ's--**

Back to the present, Hiroshi sat down on the sofa as Eli gave him a cup of water.

"You look so deep in thought." She told him, "What are you thinking of?"

"I was thinking of how we met." Hiroshi replied, "It was thanks to the lucky draw Posty had hosted."

"Indeed it is." Eli sat down beside him, "I remembered that I had so much fun that day. Those sleepless nights conversing with him, cracking jokes, singing songs...I really missed them."

"I'm sorry, Eli." Hiroshi sighed, "It's my fault..."

"Shush, no one said it was yours." Eli uttered, "None of us knew about it, so nobody was at fault. So, you said you wanted to meet me because you had something important to discuss with me. What is it?"

"It's about this." He took out a piece of paper and passed it to her. She read it and looked at him, "This... is a contract. You're reforming µ's?"

"With my record label." Hiroshi said.

"What happened? Why do you want to do this all of a sudden? I thought you didn't have a thing for idol groups."

"Well, remember the hardcore µ's fan I was telling you about through our messages? He really liked seeing them together again, dancing and singing. You know, I will feel bad if I don't help him, because he did a lot for me and Posty for years, so..."

"I understand." Eli took out a pen and signed her signature on the contract before passing it back to him, "I have nothing to do at home anyways. I can help you with this."

"Thank you for agreeing so readily, Eli." Hiroshi sighed, "You have no idea how much time I took to convince Honoka, Umi, and Kotori."

"Oh, they're also in this?"

Hiroshi nodded his head in response, "Where's Nozomi, though? I have not seen her in a while. Is she still working at the shrine?"

"Yeah, she is." Eli answered, "You can go and pay her a visit any time. However, I am unsure if she's willing to join µ's again. She dedicates herself to the shrine, so it might be impossible."

"Hopefully I'll be able to convince her." Hiroshi gulped.

In a sushi restaurant, Yosuke met up with Honoka, Kotori, and Umi to have lunch.

"Where's Hiroshi-san, Yosuke-san?" Kotori asked, "Isn't he supposed to be with you?"

"That guy went to find some woman." Yosuke grumbled, "Dumping me all alone, tsk. He could be having a fling with that woman, for all I know."

"I cannot imagine that." Umi shook her head.

"Let's dig in first." Honoka picked her pair of chopsticks up, "I'm super duper hungry! I feel like I can eat a lot of sushi rolls today!"

"Honoka, you'd better watch what you eat!" Umi scolded her, "Remember, we are reforming µ's! If you want to dance well, you need to have a balanced diet! I'll make sure to keep tabs on you."

"Umi-chan, you're so strict!" Honoka whined. The four of them then started eating.

"Yosuke-san, do you live in Japan or America?" Kotori asked, "If your home is in America, then we're sorry to bring you over here."

"Oh no, don't be sorry, Kotori-chan." Yosuke assured her, "I originally lived in Japan, like Hiroshi-san. We went to America because The Man had some interviews."

"What about Hiroshi-san? Why is he in America?" Honoka asked.

"To visit someone."

As they were munching away, a chef in dark blonde hair looked at them. She sighed before she made another sushi for her to eat.

Yosuke stood up and went to the sauce counter to take more soy sauce. The chef turned around to avoid Yosuke.

"Hanayo-chan!" Her manager called out for the chef. She obediently went to her manager. Yosuke heard it and looked at her.

"Don't just stand there and stare at the customers!" The manager told her off, "Go prepare more sushi rolls for our customers! You know this is the lunch hour, and we're going to have lots of customers later, and there you are staring into space."

"Sorry, Boss. I'll make them right now." The chef bowed and went back to her station. She sighed and made more rolls as she stole glances at the trio.

Hiroshi and Eli went to the local Kanda Shrine to find Nozomi. The two searched around the whole place, but they could not find her at all. The two then asked her colleagues if they had seen her, but none of them said yes.

"Strange, I remember she works in the shrine." Eli said, "She clearly told me that. She can't be lying."

"Then we'll go to her house." Hiroshi declared, "If she's not there, maybe her parents can tell us where she might be."

"Good idea." The two of them then ran down the stairs and got into Eli's car. As Eli drove off, Alan went up the stairs. He looked at the shrine and smiled.

"Time to find Nozomi Tojo." He thought with determination.

At night, the female chef took her bag and changed into a long sleeved shirt and short pants. She had just finished work, and the restaurant is about to close. She wanted to get home quickly so that she could have a good rest.

As she walked out, she saw Honoka, Umi, Kotori, and Yosuke waiting outside. Honoka went to her, "Hanayo-chan, we've finally found you!"

"H...Honoka-chan." Hanayo looked at her before looking at the other three, "Umi-chan...Kotori-chan...Who's the man?"

"Oh, he's Yosuke-san, a friend of ours!" Honoka replied, "Hanayo-chan, do you mind to join us for a drink?"

In Honoka's room, she brought in a variety of food and drinks and placed them on the table.

"Nice to meet you, Hanayo-chan." Yosuke said, "I haven't introduced myself yet, so my apologies. I am Yosuke Lee."

"You look really old, Yosuke-san." Hanayo commented.

"Of course! I am in my late forties."

"Late forties?" Kotori asked, "You didn't tell us that when we first met you, didn't you?"

"Whoops, my bad." Yosuke cleared his throat, "Anyways, Hanayo-chan, we're looking for you, hoping that you'll help us."

"W..what do you need my help in?" Hanayo questioned, "Money might be an issue, because I work in a sushi bar, and I don't earn much either..."

"It's not that, Hanayo-chan." Umi stated, "I hope you could join us in reforming µ's."

Hanayo looked at all of them in shock. At the same time, Hiroshi opened the room's door and came in.

"Hey, girls." He sat down beside Umi, "What did I miss?"

"Where were you, Hiroshi-san?" Honoka asked, "You disappeared the whole day. You replied to my message after thirteen hours too."

"I went to catch up with my old friend." He then turned to Hanayo, "You must be Hanayo Koizumi. I am Hiroshi Oshiro, and I am a record label manager. As what Yosuke and Umi had just told you, we are trying to get µ's back together."

"But...why?" Hanayo asked, "Why did you bring this matter up? I thought...that µ's has disbanded and will not get back together again."

"I know you are very passionate about idols, and you love being one." Hiroshi explained, "I want you to reach your dreams. I want you to thrive where you're good at, not at some place you don't like. For example, the sushi restaurant."

"You know nothing about me."

"I don't, I admit." Hiroshi retorted, "I just don't want you to give up on what you want to do. You like singing and dancing, just like everyone in µ's do. I hope you can put your trust and faith in me to bring this group back. I..."

"Sorry, guys. I got to go." Hanayo then quickly left the room.

"You kinda scared her off, didn't you?" Yosuke asked. Hiroshi shook his head and took one of the Hombuns before putting it into his mouth and chewing it.

"Shit, this is delicious." He took more of it and started eating.

"What's with Hanayo-chan?" Honoka asked, "She's acting all weird. Is she hiding something from us?"

"You think too much, Honoka-chan." Kotori said, "Maybe she's just stressed over her job at the sushi bar."

"At this rate, it'll only be three of us." Umi sighed, "Hiroshi-san..."

"Make that four." Hiroshi replied, "I went to find Eli this morning. She agreed to join us."

"Eli-chan?" The three girls are surprised.

"He's friends with her thanks to a certain event." Yosuke told them.

"At least there's still some hope." Kotori said, "We got four. We need five more. Is there any way we could convince Hanayo-chan?"

Nobody replied for a few seconds. Hiroshi then spoke up, "I'll think of a way. You guys can go and find the others."

"Actually, you should find them with us." Umi rejoined, "Since you're the one who suggested this, you're supposed to help us, right?"

"I'm helping to find Hanayo now, so you can continue your search for someone else."

The rest of them nodded their heads in agreement. Outside Homura Bakery, Hanayo took out her phone and called someone.

"Kayo-chin, what's up?" The caller asked.

"Rin-chan, I...I saw two men along with Honoka-chan, Umi-chan, and Kotori-chan." Hanayo replied, "I think the men are trying to scam Honoka-chan into reforming µ's again. What should I do?"

"Don't jump into conclusions, Kayo-chin. They might be her friends. Just let them live their lives. We don't want to be getting into their way." Hanayo took one last look at the bakery before walking off. 

**\-----**

The next morning, Hiroshi decided to meet up with Eli again. This time, he brought Yosuke along.

"Do you happen to know anything about Hanayo at all?" Hiroshi asked her, "She seemed a little disturbed by something. I'm wondering if you knew anything, or if she told you something."

"Hiroshi, I have not been in contact with anyone from µ's except Nozomi." Eli replied, "I do not know if anything happens to anyone else. All I know is that I have seen her in a sushi bar before."

"So how is it?" He questioned, "About Nozomi?"

"She didn't reply to my messages at all." She sighed, "Where could she have gone too? If not the shrine or her home, could she have travelled overseas?"

"Beats me. I'm probably going to her house again after lunch. Honoka and the rest are finding Rin. All the more I must work hard."

Honoka, Umi, and Kotori got into Akiyoshi's car, and started the search for Rin Hoshizora once again. As usual, they went to a few more cat shelters. However, there are no signs of her at all. The four of them then went to Akiyoshi's house as his mother had cooked lunch for them.

"I still don't understand Hanayo-chan." Honoka said while munching on broccoli, "Something must have happened to her. She looked like somebody who's not been fed for months. She's so thin anyone could have mistaken her for a skeleton."

"Don't talk rot, Honoka." Umi looked at her with a stern face, "Hanayo's just stressed out with her job. Her manager seems fierce. I wonder if she could really take the job head-on."

"I can understand her." Kotori added on, "At one point, my job in America seemed impossible too. My boss was being super unreasonable, asking me to do things that are so difficult. However, with pure determination, I obeyed him, and got a promotion!"

Honoka then looked at Akiyoshi, who was busy texting away. She quietly crept up to him and looked at his phone screen, "Oh, so you're texting a woman, Akiyoshi-san!"

"Eek!" He quickly hid his phone away, "You scared the hell outta me! Don't do that again! Also, it's rude to see other people's chats."

"But you used to let me see them." Honoka pouted.

"Honoka-chan, it's not respectful to look at other people's messages." Kotori told her. Honoka nodded her head, "But who's that woman, Akiyoshi-san?"

"She's my work boss. She told me I need to report to work after lunch."

"Wait, what would happen to us?" Honoka asked, "Wouldn't we be stuck here?"

"I'm really sorry, ladies. I really need to rush off." He then kissed Honoka's cheeks, "I'll talk to you tonight."

"Alright, see you tonight!" Honoka beamed. He then left the house.

"Some gentleman he is." Umi grumbled, "Leaving us here. I'm going to call Hiroshi-san to pick us up."

After having lunch at a food centre, Hiroshi and Yosuke are walking to the carpark, which is a few meters away. They are currently walking past an apartment building.

"Why did you park your car so far away from the food centre?" Yosuke groaned, "I'm tired of walking so much."

"God damn it, Yosuke, it's just some walking distance." Hiroshi sighed, "We're not walking from the East to the West. This can be considered exercise for you, you know."

"Mister Oshiro, I am forty eight, mind you." Yosuke replied, "You're just thirty two. You got a lot of energy in you. I don't. I'm about to be an old man."

"Stop talking about your age. People in their sixties can walk faster than you. It's time to train your legs, and the easiest way to do it is by walking."

"I swear..." Before Yosuke could finish his sentence, a diaper with lots of feces dropped on his head. The feces also stained his hair and shirt.

"Fucking hell!" Yosuke cursed, "Whoever dropped this on me is wishing for death! I'mma kill the asshole who did this to me!" He looked up at the building and saw the open window on the fourth floor.

"I saw it drop from the fourth floor." Hiroshi said, "It could've been from the unit..." Yosuke didn't care and ran up the stairs. Hiroshi pinched his nose, "Damn, that shit smells disgusting. What did this baby eat exactly? Chili-flavored crackers?" As he is about to follow Yosuke, he got a call from Umi.

Yosuke stormed to the house nearest to the lift and slammed his fists on the door, "To the sucker who dropped the diaper full of shit on me, you'd better come out now and admit it!" A woman with coral-colored hair came to the door and gave a surprised look as she saw Yosuke.

"I'm sorry, mister." The woman opened the door, "My father has a little problem, and he can't think straight. Please forgive him. Here's some money to get new clothes."

"Wait a second." Yosuke looked closely at the woman, who is pinching her nose, "I think I know who you are. You're Rin Hoshizora."

"I...I don't know what you're talking about." The woman passed him the money. She then tried to close the door, but he placed his leg in the way.

"You're Rin Hoshizora from µ's, right?" Yosuke looked at her.


	7. The Woman Who Braved Through The Storm

A woman with coral-colored hair brought a pair of pants and a new diaper as she went into a room. She saw an old man sitting on a chair.

"Have you pooped in your pants again, Otou-san?" She sighed as she removed his pants and diapers. She replaced the soiled diapers with a new one and let him wear the new pants. She then spotted a stain on the chair.

"How many times have I told you, Otou-san?" She sighed, "If you need to take a poop, you should go to the toilet, not wait for your feces to come out. That way, you'll soil your pants."

"But I'm too lazy to walk to the toilet." The man whined, "It's so far away."

"I'm going to clean the chair." She told him, "Can you throw away the dirty diaper by yourself?"

"Y...yes."

"I trust that you won't throw it down the building like last time." The woman said to him, "Remember to throw it at the trash bin in our kitchen." The old man nodded and walked to the kitchen. There, he looked around, trying to find the trash bin. As he looked from the window, he saw a trash bin at the ground floor. He took the diaper and threw it down the apartment building.

The woman just finished cleaning the chair with a cloth. She walked to the kitchen sink to wash it. She then took a look at the trash bin, which is beside the sink. It's empty.

"Otou-san, where's the dirty diaper?" She asked, "Why is it not in here?"

"I...I saw a trash bin downstairs, so..."

The woman immediately looked down at the first floor through the window. True enough, the diaper was on the ground, beside Hiroshi who was on the phone.

"Otou-san!" She scolded her father, "Why did you throw it down? I thought I told you not to do so!"

"But...but I saw a trash bin downstairs." He had a scared expression on his face.

The woman breathed in and out, "Go back to your room." The old man nodded and went back to his room.

"I shouldn't have let him throw the diaper." She thought, "What happened if it actually landed on somebody? Hopefully it doesn't."

She then heard someone slamming the door, "To the sucker who dropped the diaper full of shit on me, you'd better come out now and admit it!" She rushed out of the kitchen and went to the doorstep. She is completely surprised to see Yosuke with her father's feces on his head and his shirt. It became obvious to her the diaper had hit him.

"I'm sorry, mister." She opened the door and took some money out of her wallet, "My father has a little problem, and he can't think straight. Please forgive him. Here's some money to get new clothes."

"Wait a second." Yosuke looked closely at her. She pinched her nose as the stench was getting to her.

"I think I know who you are." Yosuke said, "You're Rin Hoshizora."

"I...I don't know what you're talking about." The woman passed him the money. She then tried to close the door, but he placed his leg in the way.

"You're Rin Hoshizora from µ's, right?" Yosuke looked at her.

"You're looking for the wrong person." She tried to use force to close the door.

"You're still denying it?" Hiroshi walked to the doorstep, "Honoka and her friends looked all over Tokyo for you. In all the cat shelters. You don't feel bad about it at all?"

"You were the ones who told Kayo-chin that you wanted to reform µ's, right?" Rin growled, "You guys are such scammers! How dare you try to trick Kayo-chin and our friends!"

"Trick?" Hiroshi sighed, "Yosuke, you heard what she said? She probably heard it from Hanayo and both of them think we're liars. Yosuke, I don't know if I still can help you, because some people are so stubborn."

"Please, we're not scamming anybody." Yosuke pleaded, "We genuinely want to reform µ's. I'm a big fan of µ's. Listen to what we got to say, alright? If you still don't believe us, then we'll leave."

The woman sighed and opened the door, "l'm Rin Hoshizora, former member of µ's."

**\--µ's--**

"Have a drink." Rin gave a cup of water each to Hiroshi and Yosuke before she sat down on the sofa in the living room, "So, state your business here."

"Look, Rin-chan, Hanayo-chan must've told you something about us." Yosuke explained, "I think she got it all wrong. My friend here owns a record label, and he plans to reform µ's. I pleaded with him, because I like µ's a lot. I really, really, really love your music so much I have your whole discography in my room. I even have posters of all of you. You can check my room out if you want to."

"You sound more like an obsessed stalker than a fan, Yosuke." Hiroshi said, "Let me do the talking." He then turned to Rin, "I'm very serious about reforming µ's. I do realize that your songs are beautifully crafted and sung. Like what I said to every µ's girl I have found so far, I do not want you to give up on your dreams. Everyone in µ's loves dancing and singing. I know that. That's why I'm giving µ's a chance to rise again. I'm letting everyone do what they wish to do. If you're short on cash, then I'll handle it."

"I don't know how you got Honoka-chan, Umi-chan, and Kotori-chan to do your bidding." Rin stared at him, "Perhaps they really longed for µ's to reform. But I'm not interested in joining it."

"Why?" Yosuke queried, "Why not? Don't you love to be an idol? He's handing out an opportunity for you to take."

"I just don't want it at all." Rin replied, "I have a lot of things to do. I'm a busy woman. I don't have time to do silly dances and sing stupid songs."

"Do silly dances and sing stupid songs?" Hiroshi asked, "Mind you, you were the one who sang along with µ's. So you're calling yourself silly and stupid for doing those?"

"Yes, I am. I realized I was so naive in my high school days. I thought I could be anything I wanted when I grew up, and nothing would go haywire. I thought wrong."

"It's because you're not trying hard enough to reach it!" Hiroshi angrily said, "You're just coming up with excuses!"

"So what if I am? It's my life! I decide what I want to do! And what makes you think I'll trust you? Who knows, you might just steal all of our money after we make a song."

"Why are you still doubting us?" Hiroshi screamed, "I already told you I'll help you in whatever way I can! And for the last time, I don't need to scam you!"

"Oh, really? How can you expect me not to doubt you two? You came out of nowhere and said you wanted to reform µ's. Of course I'll think that's suspicious. Kayo-chin thinks so too, and I trust her judgement. Now, if there's nothing else, please leave. I won't see you to the door."

"Please, Rin-chan." Yosuke begged with her, "It is my lifetime wish for µ's to be formed again. I really hope you do consider it."

"I do not wish to force you out of the house at all." Rin looked at Yosuke, "But if I have to, I will."

"Yosuke, let's go." Hiroshi glared at her, "She's going to call the police if we don't move." He pulled Yosuke out of the house and went off. Rin covered her face with her hands and groaned softly.

In Honoka's room, she, Umi, and Kotori are surprised to hear that Rin is no longer working at the cat shelter.

"So we spent a day and a half finding her, only for her to be in her own home?" Umi grumbled, "We've wasted a lot of time."

"So she's another Hanayo-chan, huh." Honoka said, "Refusing to join because of unknown reasons."

"Hanayo told Rin that we're scammers too!" Hiroshi growled, "What a bitch. How dare she spread shit about us."

"They haven't known us for long yet, so it's fine that they think this way." Yosuke said, "You need to cool down. I think you need to understand their personal problems. The thing that's keeping them from holding onto their dreams. It must be major for them to be sacrificing doing what they love to do."

"Yosuke-san's right." Kotori added on, "They must have a reason for not joining us. It can't be monetary issues. From what you said about them, they don't seem too concerned about money."

"Well..." Hiroshi said, "...I'm going to think about it tomorrow. I'm tired. You girls get some rest too. C'mon, Yosuke, let's go home."

"Alright." Yosuke stood up and waved goodbye to the girls before he left the house with Hiroshi.

In Hiroshi's room, he thought about Rin Hoshizora and Hanayo Koizumi in his own room. They are indeed different from all the girls he had scouted so far. Not only did those two not give any clear reasons why they didn't want to join, they also are wary of him. He spent the rest of the night thinking of a way to help the both of them.

The next morning, Yosuke visited Honoka in her room.

"Hiroshi-san said we could take a break?" She asked him. He nodded his head, "He told me he wanted to try and convince Hanayo and Rin on his own. He knew you, Umi-chan, and Kotori-chan worked hard to find Rin-chan, so he wanted to give you girls some rest. He also told me to bring you wherever you girls wanted. It's his way of saying thank you."

"But we can't just let him do all the job, can't we?" Honoka asked, "We are members of µ's. We can't just sit there and do nothing while he tries to single-handedly bring Hanayo-chan and Rin-chan over. It's going to be impossible."

"Honoka-chan, have some faith in him." Yosuke replied, "Have you seen how he had convinced you and Umi-chan? I remembered Umi-chan was so stubborn that time, but he managed to talk her into joining µ's again. Let's just enjoy the day today, alright?"

Honoka smiled and nodded her head, "I'll bring the other two along with us! I wonder if Akiyoshi-san is able to join us! I'm going to call him!"

Honoka then took out her phone and dialed his number, but there is no response. She tried again, and the same thing happened.

"Can't get your boyfriend through the phone?" Yosuke asked. Honoka sighed and nodded her head, "It's okay! I'll call Umi-chan and Kotori-chan! They'll surely follow us!"

**\-----**

In the sushi restaurant, Hanayo is making some sushi rolls for the customers. She placed them on a plate and passed them to the waiters and waitresses. As she continued to make some more sushi rolls, her boss came in.

"Hanayo-chan, may I speak to you for a while?" He asked. She bowed and went to him.

"A VIP has arrived at our restaurant." Her boss told her, "He has paid a hefty sum for a delicious lunch, and he's waiting in the VIP room. I know you're the most skilled in making sushi rolls. Go in and satisfy our customer. There's a kitchen in there with the ingredients prepared."

"Yes, Boss." She bowed and went to the VIP room. When she opened the door, she saw Hiroshi sitting on the sofa. He looked at her and smiled.

She walked straight into the kitchen without batting an eye and started making some sushi rolls. Even though she found him suspicious, she still gave it her all into making the food for him. Once she was done, she placed them all on a big plate and served it to Hiroshi.

"Enjoy your meal." Hanayo bowed down before turning towards the door. As she was about to leave the room, Hiroshi called out for her.

"Hanayo, take a seat." He said, "I want to talk to you. Please." She turned back and took a chair. She sat opposite of him.

"Hanayo, I know you think...I'm a scammer, and that you have told Rin about it." Hiroshi sighed, "I want to make it clear. I don't want to scam anyone. I just wish for µ's to be back together, and for all its original members to reunite and do a song together. I really have no ill intentions. You can ask Honoka, or Umi, Kotori, or Eli. I hope you believe me. I know, it's my fault for just telling it to you straight without warning. I know some people have their personal difficulties. Like you. You seem really disturbed by something."

She looked away and said nothing.

"Let me tell you a story." Hiroshi continued, "I used to be a happy man. I had a luxurious home to live in, loving parents to love me forever, and a caring older brother that never stops putting me before himself. I had so much fun. Life seemed smooth sailing for a while. Until...my father was diagnosed with stage two throat cancer. A few days later, my mother got stage three lung cancer. On the way to the hospital for my mother's check-up, my father met with an accident, and he died. My mother died in the surgery ward a few months later. I thought things couldn't get any worse. It's just me and my brother. But...a few years later...he died too."

"I'm sorry for your loss." Hanayo spoke softly.

"Thanks. At that time, I shut myself out. Never let anyone near me at all. I was depressed after all. However, someone reached out to me, even when I wanted my life to be gone. He helped me through all the sad, tough times. He brought me out of depression hell, and I'll forever be thankful to him. Then I knew. If I fall too deep, I will never get up. If it wasn't for him, I would've died. Hanayo, I know you're facing some personal problem, and I really want to help you. I know you love dancing and singing. You didn't do it not because you didn't want to, but you were forced to."

Hanayo looked at him before looking away again.

"I hope you will tell me, of course." Hiroshi stood up, "I would love to help you and Rin. But it's fine if you don't want to do so. I won't force you. It's bad bottling up your own feelings and keeping all those pain in yourself though. I want to reform µ's because of my friend, who is a big fan of it, and because I like the songs µ's made too. I want to promote your music because I find that you girls have potential. I've eaten your rolls, and they taste delicious. I'll be waiting for your decision." He was about to leave when Hanayo stood up too.

"Wait." She told him, "Sit down. I'll tell you."

He turned to look at her, "You finally believe me?" She nodded her head, "You sound like you really wanted to help me, and you seem like you're not a bad person. Since the girls trust you, I will do so too. Wait here for me as I go and make more rolls for you to eat."

After refilling the plate with more sushi rolls, she started her story, "Two years ago, my father left me and my mother after raking up a big debt from gambling. We are constantly being hunted down by loan sharks..."

_Two years ago, Hanayo brought her towel out of her room. She saw her mother, who is sitting on the sofa, looking worried._

_"Okaa-san, aren't you going out to buy some groceries?" She asked, "Are you scared about the loan sharks coming?"_

_"Y...yes." Her mother stuttered, "I...if I...I were t...to leave t...this house, w...what will happen to y...you?"_

_"Okaa-san, we've changed our location. They will take some time to find out." Hanayo assured her, "Besides, here is a safe place. There's a police station downstairs, and we can immediately report them. There are officers walking around. They won't dare to come here."_

_"I...I hope you're r...r...right." Her mother slowly stood up, "G...go and b...bathe. I will m...make dinner w...when I'm back."_

_"Yes, Okaa-san." She smiled at her before skipping into the toilet. She then closed the door and started bathing._

_As she was doing so, she could hear someone falling onto the floor, and her mother screaming. Hanayo slowly opened the door and saw three men walking up to her._

_"It's the loan sharks!" She thought as she quietly closed the door. She dialed for the police. After she reported it, she wore her clothes and got out of the toilet._

_"Don't touch my mother!" She screamed at them as she ran to hereroyhrt._

_"Where's my money, you sluts?" One of the men shouted at them._

_"We don't have it." Hanayo replied, "We can't earn enough if you keep coming every week. We can't earn seventy five million yen in a week."_

_"How dare you talk back to me, you fucking bitch! You're going to die!" The three men then ganged up on Hanayo and started beating her physically._

_"Don't h...hit my daughter!" Her mother pushed one of the men away, "Stay a...away f...from my d...daughter!"_

_"Oh, so you want to take the beating then?" The second man then started whacking her mother. The other two joined and soon, her mother was spitting out blood from her mouth. Hanayo, being badly injured by the loan sharks, could only watch her mother get beaten up. A few minutes later, the police arrived and sent them both to the hospital._

Back to the present, Hanayo started tearing up, "My mother was then sent to the hospital. The bills were expensive to say the least, and she was fine at first. Until a year later, out of nowhere, she fell into a coma. Until now, she has not woken up at all. I started finding many jobs, and got fired from most of them quickly due to my clumsiness. I just got into this job a few days ago, and I don't want to lose it. I am such an useless fool, aren't I, Hiroshi-san? I can't even keep a job for even 2 months."

Hiroshi sighed and hugged her, "I understand your pain. You're not useless. You're trying your hardest to support your mother. It is good enough to have the mindset and the determination to go on."

"I really enjoyed being in µ's. I really do." Hanayo cried, "When I heard you're reforming it, I couldn't accept it. I wanted to be in it. I wanted to dance and sing and be an idol like last time again."

"I promise, I'll help you, Hanayo." He smiled. She stopped hugging him and looked at him, "Thank you, Hiroshi-san. I indeed felt better after telling you about it. It's like a load off my chest."

"I'm glad that you felt better." Hiroshi patted her shoulder, "I'm letting you join µ's. No debates. No buts. I'll help you with your debt. Just stay concentrated on the idol activities, alright?"

Hanayo nodded her head, "Thank you, Hiroshi-san."

"I'm going to visit Rin to try and convince her too." He told her, "She has a personal problem too, so hopefully I can help her too. You can get on with your work."

"I'll follow you too." Hanayo replied, "I'll take urgent leave." Both of them then went to Rin's house. When they reached her doorstep, Hanayo knocked on the door.

"Rin-chan, are you there?" She called out. There is no answer. Hanayo called out once more before she took out a key.

"You have her key?" He asked.

"She gave me one to keep in case she got into some trouble." Hanayo uttered, "Let's get in. Maybe Rin-chan's in trouble." She opened the wooden door and got a shock. Rin is lying on the floor, unconscious.

"Rin-chan!" Hanayo ran to Rin with a worried expression on her face, "Rin-chan!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I admit, I have been very unproductive a lot. I usually write the future chapters months before they're posted, and I was supposed to finish this story by this month. However, writer's block, distraction, and school work have been holding me back, and now I'm 6-7 chapters away from the end. I planned to write more fanfics after this, hopefully the schedule don't change too much.
> 
> On a lighter note, I hope you enjoyed the story as much as I enjoyed creating it. This is my second attempt at creating a long fanfic, so bear with me. Any feedback is appreciated. Thank you for reading, and have a nice day.


	8. The One That Never Left

Rin opened her eyes and got up from her bed slowly. She looked around and realized she was in her room. She rubbed her forehead as Hanayo got into the room with a bowl of ice water and a cloth.

"Rin-chan, you're awake!" Hanayo went to her, "I'm relieved. You were having such a hot forehead earlier, so I helped you cool it down."

"Thank you, Kayo-chin." She smiled, "I don't know why, but you always seem to know when I'm in trouble, even if it's a small one."

"That's why we're best friends." Hanayo smiled. Both of them laughed before Hanayo asked, "What happened to you, Rin-chan?"

Rin sighed, "Otou-san went down with a high fever, so I spent the whole morning taking care of him. I guess I didn't get enough sleep yesterday night because of him too. He kept wanting to go to the toilet and complained he didn't feel well. I guess all of that contributed to the fatigue I had. I remembered I was walking back to the living room after using the toilet. I felt so tired and then I fell straight onto the floor without having any energy to get back up."

"So you fainted." Hanayo sighed as she placed the wet, cold cloth on her friend's forehead, "Rin-chan, don't overwork yourself. Get some good rest."

"I hope I could." Rin replied, "By the way, why are you here, Kayo-chin? Do you need to ask anything from me?"

"Yeah, but it's not me asking the question." Hanayo then stood up and went out. Rin could hear her say, "You can come in."

Hanayo then walked back into the room with Hiroshi.

"What's he doing here, Kayo-chin?" Rin asked, "Why is he here? Don't tell me..."

"Rin-chan, listen to me." Hanayo said to her, "He's not a bad guy. He's not a scammer. We've wronged him. He..."

"You got scammed by him!" Rin got up from her bed and threw the cloth at his face, "What did you say to my friend? I'm sure you sweet talked your way into making the members of µ's get back together, then you can scam their money and run away with it!"

"Don't do this to him, Rin-chan!" Hanayo held her shoulders to try and stop her, "Listen to what he has to say."

"You managed to make my friends believe you, but you will never trick me with your words!" Rin screamed at him, "You think you can just appear out of the blue from nowhere and make µ's again? Impossible! Save that thought! As long as I don't agree, you won't get a full team!"

"Cool down, Rin." Hiroshi said, "As I told you before, I don't have the intention to scam you, or anyone in µ's. My intentions are pure. I want to get µ's together because I want to achieve the dreams of everyone in µ's. You all love singing and dancing, but got held back thanks to work and personal issues."

"You sure know how to put your shitty intentions into good words!" Rin shouted back, "You're covering up your lies well! I won't fall for it!"

"Rin-chan!" Hanayo shook her body, "Wake up, will you? He's not a baddie! He is not!"

"She's in no right mood to talk, Hanayo." Hiroshi told ber, "Let's not force her. I'll be waiting for you downstairs." He then walked out of the house. Hanayo brought her back to the bed and told her to lie down.

"Kayo-chin, why must it be you?" Rin whined, "You can't be tricked by him. You don't know what he has up his sleeves. He doesn't seem like a trustable man."

"Got it, Rin-chan." Hanayo sighed.

**\--µ's--**

Hanayo met Hiroshi at the void deck. She sat beside him and looked at him, "What are you planning to do about Rin-chan, Hiroshi-san?"

"Honestly, my appearance irks her." Hiroshi shook his head, "I have no idea how I'm going to convince her. I thought convincing you was hard enough. I thought I got through the hard part."

"But you haven't recruited the rest yet. Nico-chan, Nozomi-chan, and even Maki-chan."

"Please don't remind me of that. I'm already stressed getting the five of you in. The fact that there's still four more gives me a headache."

"I know why Rin-chan's like this though." Hanayo explained, "Like mine, her family's broken after her father lost his business completely overnight. He attempted suicide. He failed to die, and he lived with the mental illness in him. Her mother was unable to take the pressure of looking after her father, who's going crazy. She left Rin and her father without a word."

Hiroshi looked at Hanayo with shock.

"Very outrageous, right?" Hanayo sighed, "She worked hard to take care of her father. She swore to not leave her father just like how her mother did. Her father's condition was kinda manageable for the first few months, so she continued her work at the cat shelter. Then, her father started making trouble. Throwing things down from the house, dirtying the rooms, hurling vulgarities at people who walked past her house."

Hanayo paused for a while before she resumed, "Then...she decided to quit her job for some reason. Since then, she's been staying at home to take care of her father. Poor her, I don't know if her money and her father's savings are enough for them. Every day, she eats only biscuits for breakfast and lunch. She only eats a bowl of rice and vegetables for dinner. She doesn't even have money to go for restaurants at all. As for her trust in people, it was ruined by her ex. I don't know much about it. She didn't tell me a lot about it."

"Her ex?" Hiroshi let out a half-suppressed laugh, "She had a boyfriend?"

"Don't belittle Rin-chan like that!" Hanayo retorted, "To me, Rin-chan is extremely cute and beautiful! She can attract any man she wants!"

"With that kind of attitude she gives out, she'd be frightening them instead." Hiroshi scoffed, "I wonder who her ex was. I must praise him for being such a brave, heroic man to date such a ferocious, crazy woman. I need to find this man and give him a medal and a salute."

"Stop insulting her, will you, Hiroshi-san?" Hanayo glared at him, "She has her reasons for becoming like this today. She was a very kind and gentle woman in the past."

"So, then, do you have any idea on how to convince her then?" He asked. She shrugged her shoulders.

In the amusement park, Kotori and Honoka went onto a rollercoaster ride while Umi and Yosuke sat down on a bench nearby. The latter two are watching the roller coaster go as the former two screamed their hearts out.

"Are you happy seeing the other two have fun?" Yosuke asked the bluenette. She nodded her head in response and smiled at him, "Definitely. It's been some time since we three all get to spend some time together having fun. Thank you, Yosuke-san."

"Me? Why me?"

"If you aren't an avid fan of µ's, Hiroshi-san wouldn't have tried to scout us, and Kotori would still be in America, separated from me and Honoka." Umi replied, "Then we won't be together right now."

"O...oh, it's nothing." Yosuke smiled back at her.

"So, Yosuke-san, tell me all about yourself." Umi looked at him, "How did you get to know µ's, and why do you like us up to this day?"

"Umm...I found out about µ's during my university days." He told her, "I went to university at such an old age as I had some personal family issues to settle, so I went in at a very late time. My mother loved reading magazines, and she would buy every time a new one comes out. One day, while she was out to buy some groceries, I decided to steal one of her magazines because I was bored. I flipped the pages and found µ's on one of the sections. It contained interviews from all of the members, and some of your songs. To be honest, the reason I was even bothered to read it was because I saw your face on the picture, and I realized it is pretty."

Umi's cheeks turned red.

"I went to look at the music videos you girls made, and some live performance videos too." He continued, "The more I hear the music, the more I look at the dance moves, the more I fell in love with µ's. Two of my friends were fans of school idols too, and they'd hear new music from µ's or watch a new music video from µ's with me. I particularly like your voice and your dance moves. Your voice is so angelic, and your moves are so smooth. Your face is also so cute that I can't stop looking at it."

"T...thank you for complimenting me so much." Umi looked away in embarrassment, "I...I've never heard anyone praise me this much before."

"Really?" Yosuke laughed nervously, "I'm not really good with my choice of words, so I thought they might creep you out."

"Oh no!" She gave a flustered look, "It does not."

"You two enjoying time together?" Honoka crept up to them and questioned them. Umi jumped up in shock.

"Honoka!" Umi screamed at her, "Don't scare me like that!"

"I'm glad you two are getting along together." Kotori grinned, "Our Umi-chan is finally bonding with her biggest fan."

Umi stood up, her whole face turning into the color of a tomato, "S...shall we take l...lunch now? I'm hungry!" She then walked away quickly.

"She's so cute when she's embarrassed." Kotori told Yosuke, "Let's follow her."

"Oh yeah, Yosuke-san, how's Hiroshi-san doing?" Honoka asked, "Did he get Hanayo-chan or Rin-chan yet?"

"I haven't asked yet." He replied, "Maybe I'll call him later during lunch."

Hanayo bought some porridge for Rin and gave it to her, "Your lunch, Rin-chan."

"Thank you, Kayo-chin." Rin started eating her food, "Is that guy gone from my house? I do not want to see him again."

"Rin-chan, he's not a bad person. He genuinely wants µ's to be back together..."

"Kayo-chin, guys like him are always out there trying to lie to innocent people." Rin retorted, "I've known these types of guys. Stay away from him."

"He talked to me earlier, and he does seem concerned about helping every member of µ's. He wouldn't have taken the time to try and understand me. Besides, he had spoken to Eli-chan, Honoka-chan, Umi-chan, and Kotori-chan. All of them don't seem to have a problem with him at all, and they trust him."

"They have not come across a life-changing experience yet." Rin growled, "They're all inexperienced. You'd better tell them now that he's a bad guy."

"Rin-chan, I don't know how many times I must tell you this." Hanayo sighed, "He has a good intention to reform µ's. He likes our music, and he sees potential in us. He also has a best friend who is a big fan of µ's too! In fact, he's one of the reasons why Hiroshi-san is doing this now. He can't be lying when he has a good friend who is a fan. I'm sure he doesn't want to disappoint him."

"That man could be lying." Rin said, "Kayo-chin, I..."

"Enough, Rin-chan." Hanayo stood up, "You shouldn't think every guy's the same because of your ex. I don't know what exactly went on between you and him, but you should never assume that Hiroshi-san's like your ex."

"I did not..."

"That's a very blatant and obvious lie." Hanayo interrupted her, "I just hope you could stop lying to yourself that every man is the same. I'm tired today. I'll see you tomorrow." She then left the house. Rin sighed and looked out of the window.

**\-----**

At night, Hiroshi went to Honoka's house, where her mother had cooked dinner for him, Yosuke, and the three girls. The five of them said 'itadakimasu' before digging into the food.

"Congratulations, Hiroshi-san." Kotori said, "You managed to get Hanayo-chan to join us. You really can convince anyone. I admire that skill."

"It's not anything, really." Hiroshi sighed, "Rin's still as stubborn as ever, not wanting to join at all. Even with my words and Hanayo's talking, she still doesn't budge."

"She is so fierce, holy shit." Yosuke added on, "She showed no mercy and threatened to call the cops. That's so unlike her. In her interviews, she seems like a pretty nice person. Now, I changed my mind."

"To be fair, her father's mentally ill." Hiroshi stuffed a fishcake into his mouth and chewed it, "She probably wants to take care of him, so she might not join us."

"But µ's won't be complete without her." Honoka whined, "We need every one of our members to be present."

"I'll try my best." Hiroshi said, "But if she does not want to join, I can't do anything about it." The other four sighed.

"Let's not talk about sad stuff anymore." Hiroshi said, "Did you guys enjoy your outing today?"

"You bet we did! We had lots of fun!" Honoka exclaimed, "We went to the amusement park, and me and Kotori-chan had gone on numerous rides! Umi-chan came up with an excuse of not going on rides because she didn't like it. In reality, she just wanted to chat with Yosuke-san, her biggest fan."

She then shot Umi a cheeky smile, "Am I right, Umi-chan?" Umi blushed upon hearing that, "I...I just..."

"She's shy when it comes to Yosuke-san, isn't she?" Kotori smiled, "She really enjoys being with Yosuke-san."

"S...shut up, you two!" She quickly ate her dinner. Yosuke smiled at her as he ate his dinner. The next morning, Hiroshi drove to Hanayo's house and waited for her outside.

"Good morning, Hiroshi-san." Hanayo greeted, "We'll be going to Rin-chan's house later to try again. Are you fine with that?"

"Sure." He responded, "Do you really think Rin will really change her mind after what you had said to her yesterday?"

"I can't change her mind. It's up to her." She replied, "Hopefully, she agrees to join us." He nodded his head and offered to give Hanayo a ride to the sushi restaurant. She agreed to it and thanked him.

Later that evening, after her work, he drove her to Rin's house. Hanayo went in first, and saw Rin sitting on the sofa.

"Kayo-chin, you're here." Rin stood up, "Do you need any water? Or food? Or..."

Hiroshi then entered the house.

"Kayo-chin, how many times must I tell you this?" Rin looked at her friend, "I will not join µ's at all!"

"Rin-chan, you can't just judge him like that because of what you faced last time!" Hanayo screamed at her, "He's not your ex!"

"All men are the same." Rin growled, "They are absolute trash!"

"Shut up!" Hiroshi shouted, "Rin Hoshizora, I don't know why you're like that, giving me attitude at all. I have no idea why you keep thinking I'm a scammer or something. The more I think about it, the more I think that you're just finding an excuse to avoid joining µ's."

"What..." Rin glared at him.

"You always had something against me ever since I mentioned µ's." Hiroshi continued, "From your reactions overtime, I can see that you want to join, but you can't. You're just like Hanayo. Because of personal reasons, you couldn't do so. You like dancing and singing so much, Rin. Why are you throwing this chance away?"

"I do not trust men at all!" Rin cried, "All they do is lie to me, then throw me away! They don't care about me at all!"

"I won't give up no matter what!" Hiroshi screamed at her, "I won't give up trying to recruit you! I want all the members of µ's to be together! A scammer might give up two to three times later, but I guarantee that I won't back down even if you reject me a thousand times!"

"You're wasting your energy." Rin crossed her arms, "Leave the house..."

"I won't fucking leave this house until you're true to yourself! No matter what you think of me, I will never give up!"

"Yeah, I want to join µ's!" Rin stormed to him, "So what? You think I can, given my current situation?"

"Do you think I can help you if you shut that damned mouth of yours?! I want to help you, Rin! Let me help you! Can you please trust me?"

Rin looked at Hanayo, who was staring at her with puppy eyes. Rin sighed and sat on the sofa, "Fine. Since you're so stubborn, and Kayo-chin trusts you, then let me start from the beginning. I used to have a happy family. A loving mother, a caring father, and a joyous me. My father lost his business overnight thanks to stocks, and he went crazy. He attempted suicide by jumping down from a tall building. He survived, and got brain damage. My mother left us, because she couldn't handle the stress of taking care of a distraught daughter and a mentally ill husband. I had to take care of my father on my own while she enjoyed at the nightclub. Even when I begged for her to come back, she didn't care. During that period of time, one of my work colleagues comforted me and cheered me up. He made me happy, and so I've fallen for him.

"We became a couple, and we loved each other so much, or so I thought. I told him I wanted him to bond with my father, so that he can bond with him and that would allow my boyfriend to be familiar, and then he could help me take care of him. He did agree to do so, because he said he loved me. With that assurance, I went to work with ease. Until one day, I was watching a movie in my room with him. I was a bit worried for my father, so I went to check on him..."

_ Two years ago, Rin took a cup of water and some pills to her father's room. She sat down beside his bed, "Otou-san, it's time to take your pills." _

_ He quietly nodded and swallowed the pill before drinking the water. She smiled at him and was about to walk out when she saw a cane mark on his arm. _

_ "What's this, Otou-san?" Rin took a closer look at the arm, but he just pulled it away and turned around. _

_ "Otou-san, what's wrong?" Rin touched his shoulder, and he shrieked in pain. She removed his shirt and was shocked to find that there are many scratch marks and cane marks on his arms, back and chest.  _

_ "Otou-san, why didn't you tell me about this?" She looked at him, "Tell me. Who bullied you?" He just shook his head and kept quiet. _

_ "Who is it, Otou-san?" Rin questioned, "You need to tell me, so that I can report it to the police." At his moment, he turned around and shook his head. His face was written in fear. _

_ "Don't tell me it's..." Rin didn't need to finish her sentence, and her father slowly nodded her head. She stormed into her room and switched the television off. _

_ "What's the deal, Rin-chan?" Her boyfriend asked.  _

_ "You have been bullying my father, haven't you?" Rin asked angrily, "I can't believe you have done it! I entrusted my father to you! Why did you do it?" _

_ "It's not me, Rin-chan..." _

_ "Who else could've come into my house besides you?" Rin questioned, "Only you have the keys to my house. And you're still trying to deny it!" _

_ "Your father wasn't listening to me at all!" He retorted, "He wouldn't eat the pills, or bathe, or even eat! I had to force him, or not he wouldn't do shit!" _

_ "You knew he had mental illness, yet you went ahead and beat him!" Rin screamed, "I want a break up with you this instant!" _

_ "C'mon, Rin-chan, give me another chance." He pleaded, "I know I'm in the wrong, and I won't do it again. You know I love you so..." _

_ "If you love me, then you wouldn't have done this!" She replied, "Leave my house now or I'll call the police!" As she was about to reach her phone, he held a knife to her throat, "You'd better do what I said, Rin Hoshizora. I was so kind to plead with you, but you took it for granted. If you ever move, I'll slit your throat. You'd better go to the bed now and do exactly what I say. If you ever defy me, I'll kill your father in front of you, and I know there's nothing you can do." _

_ She sighed and sat on the bed. He told her to take off her clothes. She talked back, saying that she won't do it. He then pointed the knife at the door. She sighed and took it off. She couldn't and wouldn't let her father be killed by a psychopath. He then took pictures of her and smiled. He went on to insult her, saying she's super ugly and that he has found a better girl for him. He even told her that if she makes a police report, the photos will be leaked onto the Internet. He then left the house. _

Back to the present, Rin has tears flowing out from her eyes, "I cried myself to sleep that night, thinking what I did wrong in my previous life to deserve this. After that incident, I didn't trust anyone else except for Kayo-chin and Maki-chan. I was wary of everyone else, and I didn't attend work. All these humiliation and pain I've suffered...all these are for my father! Even though his business failed...even though he tried to kill himself...even though he has mental illness now, I won't leave him as long as I live! I won't be like my useless mother who left him, or my abusive boyfriend who abused him badly! I will always stand by his side and I'll never leave him!" At this point, she started crying, "What should I do, Hiroshi-san? I want to join µ's, and I want to be with Kayo-chin, but I can't just leave my father alone." She then hugged him, crying in his shirt.

"I will find a way to help you." Hiroshi said, "I promise I won't deceive you like your ex did. I hope you trust me, Rin. I will make your wish of dancing and singing true. I give you my word."

She cleared her tears and smiled at him, "I'm glad that you're still helping me even though I'm so mean to you in the past. Thank you, Hiroshi-san. And thank you, Hanayo-chan. If you hadn't kept pressing me, I wouldn't have opened up, and kept that depressing moment within me. I'm sorry I didn't tell you about it."

"No worries, I know what it feels like." Hanayo patted her shoulder. Rin then rubbed her eyes.

"I'm going to do a proper introduction, so watch carefully!" She turned around and took a deep breath. She then turned back to them and smiled gleefully, "Hello, I am Rin Hoshizora, but you can call me Rin, nya~"

Hiroshi and Hanayo smiled at her. A ray of light has finally shone on Rin.


	9. Facing Problems

During lunch the next day, Hiroshi went to the sushi restaurant to visit Hanayo and taste her sushi again. He booked the VIP room and asked Hanayo if she could serve him. She said yes and went into the kitchen of the VIP room to make more sushi rolls.

"This is so damn delicious!" Hiroshi gobbled them down his throat, "Hanayo, you really make really tasty sushi rolls! Can you teach me someday?"

"Nope, it's my secret recipe." Hanayo giggled, "If I taught you how to do it, then you won't be coming here to ask for more. You will leave me alone, and I'll feel lonely." Both of them laughed.

"Hiroshi-san, ever since she opened up to both of us, she's been feeling very cheerful and happy." Hanayo said, "I video-called her yesterday night, and she's all smiles. I'm really glad that she's her old self again. As long as she is happy, then I'm happy too."

"Aww, you two are sweet to each other." Hiroshi commented, "You girls are really best friends." They then heard people screaming outside and the sound of utensils dropping on the floor. The two of them went out of the room to check and saw three men at the counter. They are interrogating her boss, who is scared stiff.

"Let me ask you one last time." One of the men growled at him, "Where is Hanayo Koizumi? She works here, doesn't she?"

"S...she...she..." The boss stuttered, as if something was stuck in his throat. One of the men then pointed at Hanayo and the three of them went to her.

"It's the loan sharks." Hanayo told Hiroshi. The men went to them and glared at Hanayo, who was shivering in fear. She hated to see them, and is still scared of them. Even when her mother is lying on the hospital bed, they are still relentless in hunting Hanayo down to pay the debt. They have been harassing her every two weeks ever since the incident, and she has been giving money to them constantly, but it wasn't enough.

"You got yourself a boyfriend to try and protect you?" The tallest one asked, "You're funny, Ms Koizumi. Where's my money?"

"I...I don't have the sum right now." Hanayo faced down, not daring to look them in the eyes, "But I...I will...o...once I get m...my salary..."

"Don't mess with me, you bitch!" The man slammed the wall beside her, causing her to hide behind Hiroshi and cower in fear. Hiroshi sighed and asked him how much she has to pay in order for them to stop looking for her.

"Trying to play the hero, I see." The tall man glared at him, "You do think you have enough money to pay? Well then, fork out the remaining seventy five million yen with ten percent interest, and we're done here."

Hiroshi took out a cheque and wrote ninety million on it before passing it to the man, "Seventy five million yen with extra interest paid to you. After you get the money, you will stop harassing her, or I'll call the police."

The man nodded his head in satisfaction and turned to Hanayo, "You're lucky your boyfriend is helping you now. I'm happy I won't get to see you again. Men, let's go!" He and the other two men then walked off. Hanayo slowly stepped out of her hiding spot, and looked around to see if there was any other person hunting her down. She heaved a sigh of relief realizing it is over.

"Thanks for helping me pay my debt, Hiroshi-san." She smiled at him.

"Go and continue on with your job." Hiroshi passed some money to her, "Pass this to your boss for any damages to the shop. I'll be off first."

"Hanayo Koizumi!" The boss stormed up to her, and he obviously does not look pleased with what trouble his employee has caused, "How dare you bring your shit to my store! You're fired immediately! Out of my place now!"

"But, Boss, my friend here helped me paid the debt." Hanayo told him, "The loan sharks won't come here anymore."

"How can I trust you? You might have a few more of them coming up! Because of you, your stupid bunch of gangsters came looking for me at the store when they couldn't find you at your house, and my customers were being chased away without paying any money! You made the restaurant lose some of its business, so we're firing you to prevent this from happening again! I can't risk my restaurant from losing any more money because of your stupid debts!" She continued to try and reason with the boss that there would no longer be any trouble made, but he insisted 

"Finally, Hanayo will be free from this hellhole!" Hiroshi uttered, "She doesn't need a shitty, money-minded, selfish boss like you to give her salary. She doesn't need to face a scaredy cat anymore too, because she'll be doing what she wants from now on! She doesn't need to suffer under you ever again! You're gonna regret losing a good chef! Sayonara, loser!" He then pulled her out.

As they were walking to the carpark, he turned to her "Let's go to Rin-chan's house. We'll discuss how to help her." Hanayo closed her eyes and smiled at him.

**\--µ's--**

In Rin's house, she took a long loaf of bread and sliced it into half. She placed one on a plate and fed it to her father. As soon as he ate it, she cleaned his mouth with a tissue and went to wash the plate.

She then heard Hanayo call out her name. She rushed to the door and saw Hanayo and Hiroshi outside her house. She let them in, "Hello, guys! What brings you here today, nya~?"

"Have you had your breakfast yet?" Hiroshi asked. She shook her head, "I was about to have it, but then you came, nya~"

"We're here to talk about your father." He said, "We're going to sit down and try to come up with solutions while you eat."

"Alright. Let me grab my bread." She ran into the kitchen and came back a few seconds later.

"So, have you found any suitable person to take care of your father yet?" He questioned.

"It's only been less than a day, nya~" She replied, "I can't find anyone in less than twenty four hours."

"I don't have anyone that can help me." Hanayo voiced out.

"Me neither." Hiroshi added on, "I can't take care because I'm inexperienced. Yosuke has his mother to take care of. I can't think of anyone who could help you. I do have a solution though, but I don't think you might like it."

"What's it?" Rin queried.

"You can send him to a nursing home."

"That's a bad idea!" Hanayo slapped his shoulder, "What kind of suggestion is that, Hiroshi-san? She obviously wants to be with her father." There was a brief moment of silence as the three of them looked down on the floor.

Rin then spoke up, "I've considered that yesterday too. I thought that if I'm going to join µ's, I would have less time to take care of him, and thus putting him in there will be a better choice. But I would like to be with him too. I can't really bear to send him there."

"I understand." Hiroshi said, "In the meantime, I'll try to find the best caretaker for him. Since we haven't got everyone from µ's yet, we still have time to search for one. Three of us will be responsible. Alright?" The two women agreed.

During lunch, Hiroshi and Hanayo met up with Yosuke, Honoka, Umi, Kotori, and Eli in Honoka's room. Eli hugged each of the girls as she had not seen them for a very long time.

"You've convinced Rin to join µ's?" Umi looked at Hiroshi with surprise written on her face.

"You're really awesome, Hiroshi-san!" Kotori commended him.

"We're so glad to have such a manager who can sway people using his mouth." Honoka said.

"You flatter me, girls." He grinned, "Besides, Yosuke helped me with this. He's the one who told me that it's not all about money problems that Rin and Hanayo are facing. Furthermore, we haven't found all of the members yet. We still have Nozomi, Nico, and Maki. I'll try my best to find them."

"We could help you, Hiroshi." Eli spoke up, "We are members of µ's after all. We can't let you do everything on your own."

"Eli-chan's right, Hiroshi-san." Honoka told him, "We can help you, Hiroshi-san."

"It's okay." He replied, "I was the one who wanted µ's to be together. I'll find the other three with Yosuke. The rest of you can enjoy a break for a while more. I promise to find them as soon as possible."

"How about this? We will find clues about them. We'll then report to you and Yosuke-san after we found some and you two can go out and find them." Umi suggested, "This will make it easier for us to find them. It will save time too, and we can reform µ's faster than expected."

"Good suggestion, Umi." Hiroshi said, "Alright then. I'll follow it. Let's get working, everyone." The girls whipped their phones out of their pockets and started researching. Hiroshi whispered to Yosuke to go out of the bakery to talk.

"Rin needs someone to help take care of her father." Hiroshi said, "Is there anyone you have in mind that can do the job? I know you have a lot of social contacts, so this should be easy for you."

"Let me think." Yosuke scratched his head, "I can't think of anyone."

"Are you for real? You have so many friends, and none of them can help us?"

"Most of them are working adults, Hiroshi. They don't have the time to help us. Besides, who would want to take care of a mentally unstable man?"

"But..." Hiroshi then sighed, "I guess it's true. Do I really have to send him to the nursing home?"

"What is Rin's opinion on it?"

"She didn't want to, but she will if she wants to join µ's. I can't just sit back and do nothing. Rin has promised to be in µ's, so I must do something to help her. I'll feel bad if I just send him to the nursing home."

"Okay, I'll try to ask my mother about it." Yosuke sighed, "I remembered she hired someone to take care of my father years ago. I don't know if he's still around. I'll try my best to get his contact."

"Yes!" Hiroshi placed his best friend's shoulder, "Thanks for helping me! I knew I could count on you!"

"What can I say?" He sighed, "I'm the one who asked you for help to reform µ's. When a member of µ's needs help, I can't just do nothing, right?" Hiroshi smiled at him.

**\-----**

That night, Yosuke brought Hiroshi to the latter's home. Hiroshi has been sleeping in Yosuke's house ever since both of them returned from America. However, the former decided to live on his own from now on.

"You sure you're going to cope well here?" Yosuke asked, "I don't feel safe for you. Your condition ain't improving. Staying here will only make it worse. Move back to my house. My mother will take good care of you."

"It's okay, Yosuke." Hiroshi responded, "I'm going to try and face my fears. I can't be hiding forever from it, can't I?"

"I don't want you to force yourself, Hiroshi." Yosuke told him, "C'mon, let's..."

"Yosuke, I'll be fine." Hiroshi said, "I'll meet you here tomorrow." Yosuke nodded his head, "Alright then. If you need anything, you know you can hit me up on my phone. I'll be here ASAP."

"Got it, bro. Thanks."

Once Yosuke left the house, Hiroshi took out tape and taped across the door of a room, denying himself access to the room. He then went into his own room and went to lie down on the bed.

Now, all he needs to do is close his eyes and doze off. If only he could do that. Every time he tried to do that, he would just open his eyes a few seconds later.

He got up and went into another room. It is filled with instruments: guitars, a piano, a microphone, headphones, and a laptop.

"Guess I'll just make some music so that I'll feel tired and then it'll force me to sleep." He sat down in front of the piano and started playing Canon In D. After a few minutes, he felt sleepy. He laid his head on the piano keys and slept.

Hiroshi stormed angrily across the road, not turning back as he heard someone calling out for him. He then heard tires screeching. He turned back and got a shock.

Hiroshi woke up with a start. He panted as he looked around. He is still indeed in the instruments room. He looked out of the window and realized it is morning already. He sighed and got up from the piano.

After he took a bath, he opened the main door and saw Yosuke standing outside. Hiroshi let him in before closing the door.

"You thought about it yesterday, didn't you?" Yosuke questioned.

"I didn't." Hiroshi put up a fake smile, "You know, I was dreaming about enjoying my life with sweet, sexy girls in their bikini."

"I know when you're lying, Oshiro." Yosuke looked at him sternly, "You can't lie to me. Did you dream the whole thing or part of it?"

"Part of it." Hiroshi sat down on the sofa, "This is what happens when I have such a good memory. I can remember a lot of stuff, and this is one I cannot forget."

"This is why you should move back with me." Yosuke reasoned, "If you keep staying here, you'll keep thinking about it. It'll be three years ago all over again. Don't you think that torturous period was enough? Stop being stubborn, Hiroshi. Move back with me right now."

"Relax, I can control it. I feel I'm more prepared right now. It won't be much of a problem for me."

"You say that, but later you're going to..."

"Shush, Yosuke. Let's just get to work." Hiroshi went out of the house. Yosuke sighed and followed him to the car. He then told Hiroshi that he had found the caregiver, and he agreed to work for Rin. Hiroshi told him that is good news, and drove to Rin's house to tell her about it

"Really, nya~?" Rin asked happily. Hiroshi nodded his head, "He's coming next Monday. He's willing to do it because of Yosuke and his mother here, so thank him."

Rin turned to Yosuke and bowed down, "I'm sorry, Yosuke-san. I was rude to you the previous time even though you are a big fan of µ's. I have disappointed you, haven't I?"

"It's all in the past." Yosuke smiled, "As long as you're willing to join µ's, I'm happy enough. Thank you for listening to what Hiroshi has to say."

"Oh yeah, I've found a clue in where Nozomi-chan might be." Rin took out her phone and showed the two a social media account, "This is Nozomi-chan's photography account, according to Maki-chan. Nozomi-chan posted this picture a few minutes ago. It depicts her sitting on a seat in the London airport, holding a passport and a boarding pass. It means that she's in London now."

"Okay, but what does that tell us?" Hiroshi questioned, "Do we have to go to London to find her? Finding people in Japan is already a chore."

"Hiroshi-san, look at the boarding ticket." Rin pointed at it, "It says 'Departure at 6 PM London time, 27 February 2020. It means that she had departed the airport seven hours ago, and is on the plane as we speak. She'll reach the airport at two in the afternoon. Today."

"Today?!" Yosuke is surprised.

"I'm sorry for giving such you guys a short notice." Rin said, "I still hope you can make it on time."

"We will." Hiroshi replied, "By the way, are you sure this is really her? What happens if it's someone else?"

"I'm sure it is Nozomi-chan. Maki-chan won't lie to me. Should I tell the rest?"

"I'll ring Eli up." Hiroshi said, "She's super worried about Nozomi going missing. I don't think the others need to know. Tell them we found Nozomi, and they can continue searching for Nico and Maki."

Honoka went out with Akiyoshi to the shopping mall. She held his hand while looking at him, "I'm so glad you finally had some time off your work, Akiyoshi-san."

"Me too." He said, "What do you want to eat today? Ramen? Katsu rice? Fast food?"

"Anything you choose, dear." She kissed his cheeks. Suddenly, his phone rang. He let go of Honoka's hand, "I gotta answer the call. Give me a sec."

He then went to a corner and answered the call. Honoka decided to wait by the bench nearby while she looked around the mall. She is still thinking of what to eat when her stomach grumbled.

"It's been ten minutes already." She thought, "Shouldn't he be done talking? Is he talking to his boss or something?" She stood up and went to him. As she is one meter away from him, she overheard his conversation with the caller.

"...you call me at such an unconventional timing, so of course I couldn't respond to your messages." He is saying, "I'll get back to you later, I promise. I got to hang out with my girlfriend first, alright? Okay, that's all. I'll talk to you later." He then ended the call. She quickly went back to the bench and pretended to wait as Akiyoshi walked to her.

"C'mon, baby." He said, "Let's go. I feel like eating fast food today." Honoka nodded her head and followed him. She didn't know what he was talking about earlier, but she decided to ignore it.

At twelve thirty in the afternoon, Hiroshi and Yosuke invited Eli for lunch. He told her that they are going to the airport later to find Nozomi.

"She was in London?" Eli queried, "She didn't even say anything about it. She quietly went off and didn't send me a text message or call. Is she facing some kind of problem and that she doesn't want to tell us?"

"Let's not think too much, Eli." Hiroshi told her, "Nozomi probably got forced to go overseas with her parents. After all, her family loves taking trips around the world."

"But she definitely had an internet connection in London, and she didn't tell me anything. She could post something online, but not tell me?"

"Relax, Eli. I know you're worried for her as a best friend. Let's hear what she has to say first. Right now, we have to eat our lunch first. We won't reach in time if we keep talking."

An hour and fifteen minutes later, the trio waited outside of the airport's arrival hall. Eli constantly looked at the flight information board to look for Nozomi's flight airlines, flight number, and gate number.

As soon the board stated in the remarks that her flight had landed safely on the airport runway, Eli looked closely for her while the two guys joined in the search.

Even after minutes of waiting, there are still no signs of her. They stood there for more than an hour. Eli took her phone out of her bag and tried to call Nozomi.

"Jesus christ, how long are we going to wait for her?" Hiroshi complained, "We've been standing here for very long. I'm pretty sure all the passengers of that plane got out."

"My body's about to rot waiting for her." Yosuke groaned, "Dude, can we sit down? I'm not thirty. I'm in my late forties. My legs are really going to be broken into half if I don't sit."

"Yes, sir." Hiroshi helped his friend to a seat. He then received a text message. He looked at it.

"Dear Hiroshi-chan, I'm waiting for you at a Chinese restaurant nearby. I want to talk to you about something. Don't bring anyone along. Thank you :)"

He switched his phone off and looked at Yosuke, "I'm going to meet my friend now. Look after Eli for me, and don't let her go crazy, alright?" Yosuke nodded, and he rushed off. Youske looked at him, confused on why he ran so fast.

"Where's the damn restaurant again?" Hiroshi thought to himself as he looked around the airport. After walking a few more steps, he reached the door of a restaurant named 'Saiho".

He then saw a woman waiting at the door, wearing a hat and a pair of sunglasses. She went to him and took off her hat and sunglasses. She let her purple hair out before tying it into two pigtails and holding them with scrunchies.

"Hello, Hiroshi-chan!" She smiled at him, "Long time no see!"

He sighed and looked at her, "Yeah, long time no see, Nozomi."


	10. Feelings That Won't Fade

Hiroshi is in a café with Nozomi, who invited him to have tea with her. He called Yosuke to bring Eli home before he talked to Nozomi.

"You're making Eli very worried about you, Nozomi." He told her, "Don't you think you owe her any explanation? I am interested to hear your response." Just as she is about to talk, the waiter came to their table and served them a slice of chocolate chip cake and a blueberry muffin.

"Thank you." Nozomi bowed and took the muffin. She smiled at it before she ate it. 

"So, are we..."

"This muffin is so delicious." Nozomi said to him, "Not only is it soft, it is also rich in the blueberry flavor. I always order this when I come here."

"Okay, but..."

"It goes really well with this tea. It soothes me real good, and makes me feel relaxed. You should try this combination. It's really awesome."

"Nozomi..."

"Your chocolate chip cake is nice too!" Nozomi exclaimed, "The chocolate chip chunks are crunchy and sweet, and the slice of cake is so soft. When you chew it, you'll feel lots of satisfaction."

She then looked at his drink, "You really are like me. I would take a cup of hot chocolate along with the cake. Chocolate and chocolate is a great combination."

"You'd better stop your nonsense, Nozomi." Hiroshi glared at her, "Get back to the topic."

"I am already on the topic." She beamed, "I'm talking about the food here! It's really awesome! I've been here a lot of times so..."

"Nozomi Tojo!" He slammed the table with his right fist. She was stupefied by his action as the other customers looked at the two. "I didn't come here for you to relish your muffin and talk about this café's food!" He snapped, "You're avoiding my question, aren't you?"

"A...am I?" She looked away, "I...I didn't know..."

"Stop acting, Nozomi." He spoke, "I'm not Eli. You can't just try to change the topic and expect me to forget about it."

Nozomi sighed and leaned on her chair, "You're smart, Hiroshi-chan. Alright, for real. I'll tell you. I went to London a week ago with my parents. Initially, I didn't want to tag along. I like my job at the shrine, and I wanted to continue working there. I met Eli-chi a few days before the trip. As she was comforting me, encouraging me to stay in the shrine, I...I... gained feelings for her again. All these years, I've thought that I love her as a best friend, and that's it. But...ever since after graduation, the love got stronger. I would constantly think about her almost every day. I would dream about her. I even thought of being a happy couple together and having a family with her.

"And these seven years, you did nothing?"

"I tried to think of her as a bestie." She responded, "I tried concentrating in my university years, cooping myself up in my room to study for exams. I tried reading about the world every day. I tried giving it my all in work. It did work for a few days, then I'll think about her again. I just can't shake it off. My heart won over my mind a lot of times. Even worse, when I meet up with her, I would immediately have feelings for her. Then all my efforts are wasted. That's why I took the trip to London with my family without informing her. I wanted to completely forget about the feelings. I wanted to be immersed in other things, like the culture there and photography."

"You did post photos on your photography account, so I assume you're into photography now, and thus it's successful." Hiroshi said, "Am I right?"

Nozomi sighed and shook her head, "My feelings for her grew stronger than before. I thought about Eli-chi more than ever. Her absence makes my heart grow fonder. Now, I love her romantically."

Hiroshi buried his face into his hands. Nozomi looked at her tea and saw her sad face as a reflection.

**\--µ's--**

In Honoka's room, she, Yosuke, Umi, Kotori, and Eli are waiting for Hiroshi to come back and see if he has any news about Nozomi. Eli is fidgeting with her fingers while the rest are just sitting down, not saying a word. Yosuke, however, doesn’t look too happy.

"We waited for so long, and yet she didn't show up." He grumbled, "I really wonder if her flight's really today."

"Is she avoiding me?" Eli sulked, "If so, why is she doing so? I don't understand. We're having such a good friendship. We were fine before this. Did I do something very bad to her without realizing it?"

"Relax, Eli-chan." Honoka patted her shoulder, "Maybe she forgot to give you a call, or maybe she went home with her parents before you guys arrived at the airport."

"Impossible." Eli looked at Honoka worriedly.

"If that's the case, then she's just mean." Yosuke rubbed his leg, "She made us stand for an hour. Sixty minutes! Sixty is a big number! I'm not in my early twenties like you girls. I'm an old man, god damn it."

Hiroshi then entered the room and sat down. Everyone stared at him, expecting him to have an answer. He looked at them before sighing, "I've not seen Nozomi anywhere. I went to meet my friend for a drink, that's all."

"Are you sure, Hiroshi?" Eli asked worriedly, "You really didn't find her at all? Not at the shrine or her home?"

"Nope." Hiroshi responded, "I don't even know if I can convince her even when I find her. I'll try my best tomorrow. What about Nico Yazawa or Maki Nishikino? Any news about them?"

"Nope, but I know that Maki works in a hospital." Umi replied, "And it's a very famous one. Nishikino Hospital, one of Japan's most renown hospitals. She's working as a doctor there."

"I heard she aced her exams like a pro." Kotori commented, "All her classmates were in awe. She had countless suitors too, but she picked none of them."

"She's a busy woman." Honoka said, "Hanayo-chan told me that she and Rin always have a hard time meeting up with her. In a year, they only met up two times. That's so little."

"She likes music, but is forced to be a doctor because of her parents." Kotori sighed, "Soon, she has to take over the hospital too. I can't imagine the amount of stress she's facing now."

"I remembered my friend telling me Nico was joining some idol club after graduation." Eli said, "Since then, Nico was never heard or seen again."

"I wonder what she could be doing now." Yosuke spoke. Hiroshi sat at a corner and thought of the conversation he and Nozomi had earlier.

_"My feelings for her grew stronger than before. I thought about Eli-chi more than ever." Nozomi said, "Her absence makes my heart grow fonder. Now, I love her romantically."_

_Hiroshi buried his face into his hands. Nozomi looked at her tea and saw her sad face as a reflection._

_"What are you going to do about it then?" He asked, "Continue to hide away from her? Let her get more worried? She's your best friend, Nozomi. She is genuinely worried for you. Won't you at least let her know you reached Tokyo? Not even a simple word?"_

_"Hiroshi-chan, you should know that I'll never ever lose my feelings for her if I were to do that." Nozomi whined, "Here I am trying to forget it, and you're just telling me to go on."_

_"Stop dodging her, Nozomi." He told her, "If you love her, it means you love her. No point trying to make it disappear. It won't go away in such a short time, no matter what you do. Both of you are going to suffer. She's going to suffer as she's anxious about you, and you're going to suffer as you keep these feelings to yourself."_

_"I can't do it, Hiroshi-chan. I'm scared I'll give myself away, and then Eli-chi will find me weird and our friendship will slowly break. I don't want to lose my friendship with Eli-chi."_

_"At least talk to her." Hiroshi sighed, "I'll be frank with you. I'm reforming µ's, and that's why I hope you'd be able to talk to Eli. I want you to join µ's, and bring it back to its former glory."_

_Nozomi drank her tea and ate the remaining bits of the muffin, "Can I consider it?"_

_"Alright then. But I suggest you talk to Eli. Saying that you want to lose feelings for her is easy. The hard part is the action. Even if you manage to do it by ignoring her, she'll no longer be her friend. You two will drift apart. Do you want that? Would you rather forget the feelings and lose the friendship, or be true to yourself and keep the friendship?" She kept quiet and drank her tea with tears in her eyes._

That night, as Hiroshi is looking at a video of µ's dancing to Snow halation, he received a text. He opened it and saw that it is from Nozomi. He read the messages and typed back to her, 'When is it?'

The next morning, Hiroshi sat down on a chair in the same café and placed his laptop on the table. He wore a hat and his sunglasses to prevent getting recognized. He then switched his phone on and plugged his earphones in before calling Nozomi. He had placed their call in speaker mode.

"I can't believe I'm doing this." He thought, shaking his head, "I mean, she's doing what I wanted her to do. But..." Hiroshi facepalmed as Eli walked past him and sat at a nearby table. 

He looked at Eli and cursed under his breath, "She's so damn near. If I were to talk, would she be able to hear it? I knew it wasn't a good idea to be in the café..."

His thoughts are disrupted by a familiar woman's voice, "Hey, Eli-chi." He looked to his left as he saw Nozomi walking right past him and sitting opposite Eli. She took out her phone and placed it beside her, facing down. She has an earbud in her left ear.

"Nozomi, you know you had me so worried about you?" Eli asked, "You didn't text or call me ever since our last meeting. I thought something happened to you, and I was so worried sick."

"I'm sorry, Eli-chi." Nozomi replied, "It's my fault. I was so careless. I forgot to reply to your messages or missed calls. I'm so, so, so sorry. I know I should've told you about my trip, but I was so caught up with enjoying time with my family and my photography."

"What a liar." Hiroshi quietly smirked, "You're obviously thinking about her the whole time."

"Just...don't do it again." Eli said, "I don't want to lose a good friend like you, Nozomi. If you have any problem, just tell me. I'll try my best to help you. I don't want you keeping all your problems to yourself. You have me as your best buddy."

Nozomi patted her friend's shoulder, "Alright, loosen up a bit. This lunch's on me. Order anything you want. It's my way of saying sorry."

"Then I won't stand on ceremony." Eli smiled as she ordered her food. Hiroshi smiled at them and was about to leave the premise when he heard Eli ask, "So, just asking, but what did you and your family do during the trip? For you to forget texting me because of it, you guys must be having some fun."

Nozomi laughed nervously at her while Hiroshi racked his brains to think of an answer. He then searched up 'fun things to do in London'. Once he found his answer, he told Nozomi through the phone, "Tell her you visited places such as V&A, the National Theatre, and the Sky Garden."

"It isn't really fun, but it's interesting." Nozomi told Eli, "We went to places like V&A, the National Theatre, and the Sky Garden. There were so many great things to see there, like pretty dresses, funny plays, and lots of beautiful plants with a wonderful view of London to behold."

"But how did you take those photos, then?" Eli questioned.

"Camera." Hiroshi whispered, "Say you brought a camera."

"I got a camera with me for this trip." Nozomi said, "My father gave it for me as a gift...out of nowhere."

"Oh, I thought they were taken with a phone." Eli replied, "The quality of them doesn't look like it was taken by a camera."

"I know, right? This camera's a bit old now. My father started using it around six to seven years, and now it's getting rusty. I'm still surprised the photo taken still looks good." Nozomi then nervously laughed once more.

**\-----**

In a shopping mall, Yosuke, Honoka, Kotori, Umi, and Hanayo are shopping for groceries. Hanayo wanted to cook a proper dinner for Rin as the latter has been eating bread for every meal most of the time. Hanayo wanted her to have a tummy-filling delicious dinner, so she asked the rest to go with her to suggest her food to cook. She also suggested everyone stay at Rin's house after dinner to accompany Rin and do some research on Nico Yazawa, and everyone agreed. Honoka initially wanted to invite Akiyoshi, but he is busy with work.

"Oh no!" Hanayo whined while they're looking for vegetables, "I just remembered Rin-chan doesn't have a pan and a rice cooker. Is anyone kind enough to go to the cookware store and buy those two? I'll pay you back later."

"I will." Umi volunteered, "They're on the second floor, right?" Hanayo nodded her head and thanked her. Before Umi went off, Honoka called her out.

"Umi-chan, Yosuke-san can follow you to the store." Honoka gave a mischievous smile, "Who agrees with me?"

"I do!" Kotori answered excitedly, "Hanayo-chan, you too, right?"

"Knock it off, girls." Yosuke sighed, "Umi-chan can buy it alone without me following her all the time."

"Not a man, obviously." Honoka crossed her arms.

"You're leaving a woman to do a job." Kotori added on, "What happens if she has a hard time carrying the rice cooker and the pan? Won't you feel guilty for that?"

"Honoka, Kotori, I can do this on my own." Umi told them, "Don't drag Yosuke-san into this."

"Fine, I'll go along with her." Yosuke declared.

"No, Yosuke-san." Umi said, "It's okay. I can..."

"I need to show your two friends that I'm a very nice gentleman." Yosuke then turned around to the exit, "C'mon, Umi-chan, let's go." 

Umi glared at Honoka and Kotori before following Yosuke. The latter two giggled while Hanayo gave a confused look. 

When Umi caught up to Yosuke, she looked at him, "I'm sorry for putting you in a spot like that. You know Honoka and Kotori always like to tease me. With you around now, they would always want you to help me. Don't listen to their nonsense."

"It's okay, Umi-chan." Yosuke smiled at her, "I already told you I'm your biggest fan. I don't mind spending time with you."

"Thank you, Yosuke-san." She smiled back at him, "You must've had a girlfriend before. You really are a nice guy, and have good looks too."

"I never had one." Yosuke replied, "I was so concentrated on my studies that I didn't have time to chase one. What about you? Anyone that piqued your interest?"

"Nope. I do have suitors in my workplace." Umi sighed, "I do remember I had a crazy guy falling for me. He was filthy rich, and he owns a mansion along with some sports cars."

"And you didn't get along with him?"

"I couldn't. He was too creepy for me. I had no feelings for him, and he didn't even look that good. In fact, I can say your face is way better than his."

"I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult." He said. Both of them laughed and grinned at each other.

Alan Turner arrived outside Homura in his BMW M4. He got out of the car and went into the shop, where he saw his mother attending the counter.

"Welcome." She said, "Can I get any sweets for you, mister?"

"I would like to find a sweet, sweet woman." He told her, "Her name is Honoka Kosaka, and I heard she's here. May I know if she's in?"

"I'm sorry, mister, but she's currently out with her friends. May I ask if you're her friend?"

"Yup. Don't mind me waiting for her." He then turned around and muttered to himself, "Just when I wanted to reform µ's, this has to happen. Why are none of the members appearing in front of me?"

"That's because someone else has already hired them to reform µ's." The woman replied.

He turned around and looked at her, "You heard what I said?"

"Honoka told me someone's managing µ's now, and he's currently finding the other members. I don't know who the guy is, though."

Alan nodded his head and took a strawberry-flavoured candy, "I'll buy this."

In the late afternoon, Nozomi invited Hiroshi to dinner in a restaurant.

"Thank you for helping me a bunch today, Hiroshi-chan." She said, "If it wasn't for you, I would've given myself away. Eli-chi did ask a lot of questions today, and I could answer them thanks to you."

"No problem." Hiroshi responded, "I'm glad you talked to Eli again. You have no idea how happy and relieved she is. Just watch out on what you say. The message I've sent to you in the afternoon is the things you should take note of."

"You know, since you helped me a bunch, I got two good news for you." She said. He looked at her with surprise and told her to go ahead.

"Number one, I'm going to join µ's, no doubt." She stated, "Since I can start talking to her again with your help, I shall fulfill your request of reforming µ's and join it."

"Thank you, Nozomi. I really appreciate it." 

"That's not all. I want to bring you somewhere after dinner. It's somewhere interesting, I promise you. Do you have the time tonight?"

"I think I do." Hiroshi looked at his phone before switching it off, "Yes, I do." After their early dinner, they walked out of the restaurant. Yosuke and Rin are buying cups of bubble tea nearby when he caught sight of Hiroshi. He was about to say hi when he saw Nozomi get into his car, followed by him. He then drove off.

"He's with Nozomi?" Yosuke thought, "Isn't he supposed to be with his friend, and that's why he can't attend tonight's dinner at Rin's house?" Rin then went to him and tapped him, "We can go home now, Yosuke-san." Yosuke nodded his head and followed Rin.

At last, Hiroshi reached a carpark. He parked in the first level and took the lift to the rooftop with Nozomi.

"Is a carpark that interesting, Nozomi Tojo?" He asked in the lift. Nozomi just stared at her front, "Wait until you see what it is."

When they got to the rooftop, they saw dozens of people cheering by the side as one metallic pink Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX GSR and a blue Mazda RX7 drove to a starting line. 

"This race is very entertaining." Nozomi said, "It happens every night during weekends. Today, the Devil Princess is racing, and she's driving that Mitsubishi. She's a very professional racer, and an even prettier person."

"Oh really?" He scoffed, "Let's see about that."

"Welcome to the Night Drifting event!" The host announced, "A big thank you to everyone here today for attending this exciting race. The Devil Princess is one of the two racers here, and she's known for winning first in all her races. Will she be first today? Let's find out. Today's track is a bit tricky. It requires the racer to go from the rooftop to the third floor and then back up, drifting at every corner. The winner will walk away with ninety nine thousand yen! Without further ado, let's start the race!"

Once the race started, the Mazda driver immediately took over the Mitsubishi driver. However, at the end of the fourth floor, the Mitsubishi overtook the Mazda and drifted smoothly along the corners while the Mazda driver had a hard time catching up. Everyone started cheering and clapping their hands.

A few minutes later, the pink Mitsubishi appeared, followed by the Mazda. The Mitsubishi driver drifted at the last corner and sped up to the finish line in first place. Many people cheered in joy, including Nozomi. The driver came out of the pink Mitsubishi, wearing a race helmet on her head. The host held her right hand up high.

"The Devil Princess has won once again!" The host shouted, which got the crowd erupting in cheers and applause. The Devil Princess then got back into the car and drove off. Nozomi brought Hiroshi down to the ground floor. 

As soon as they reached there, they saw the Mitsubishi parked beside the lift. The Devil Princess came out of the car and went to them. 

"Hey, Devil Princess, I'm your biggest fan." Nozomi said in a teasing way.

"Cut it out, Nozomi." The Devil Princess replied, "Is this the guy you're talking about? The one who's reforming µ's now?" Nozomi nodded her head. With that answer, the Devil Princess took off the helmet, making Hiroshi shocked. 

The Devil Princess is none other than the super idol Nico Yazawa herself.


	11. A Change Of Mind

In Rin's house during dinner time, she, Eli, Honoka, Umi, and Yosuke are sitting at a big and long table. Kotori and Hanayo came out of the kitchen and brought dishes like steamed fish, miso soup, and broccoli to the table. 

"Wow! This looks delicious!" Rin beamed, "Kayo-chin, you really do know how to cook appetizing food, nya~!"

"It's not all me." Hanayo replied, "Kotori-chan helped me too on some of the dishes! She also made the miso soup herself!"

"It's nothing, really." Kotori smiled. 

"Was the outing with Nozomi-chan great, Eli-chan?" Hanayo asked Eli.

"It is great." Eli responded, "I caught up with Nozomi today, and talked to her about life. She also agreed to consider joining µ's. It turns out that she didn't reply or call me because she was busy spending time with her family. I thought too much about it, and let my mind run wild. I feel very stupid but reassured that Nozomi isn't trying to ignore me."

"I'm glad you're feeling relieved now, Eli-chan." Hanayo grinned at her.

"How's the research on Nico-chan though, nya~?" Rin questioned as she gave the cups of bubble tea to everyone.

"We still can't find a single thing about her." Umi answered, "We searched high and low for Nico-chan, but not even the Internet can tell us."

"The closest person to her is Maki-chan." Hanayo said, "But I remember her father said that we can never ever step into the hospital as we are bad influences."

"Bad influences?" Honoka shook her head, "Her parents' minds are all about money, money, money. They really think money makes everyone's lives happier. They're much more of a worse influence than us."

"Honoka-chan, please don't insult her parents." Kotori told her, "They have good intentions for their child. They would want their child to be successful in life."

"I'm sure Hiroshi-san can outtalk them and convince them that they should allow their children to follow their own dreams instead of being money-minded!" Honoka then turned to Yosuke, "Speaking of him, couldn't Hiroshi-san join us for dinner today? He always goes out. I know, most of the time, it's for finding other members of µ's, but it's usually only you hanging out with us. You should really force him to come enjoy time with us, and slack a little."

Yosuke, however, isn't listening. Instead, he is thinking about the sight he had seen earlier. He is still confused about why Nozomi and Hiroshi are seen together.

Have they been meeting each other behind everyone's back? How long have they been meeting? Are they together as a couple? Yosuke hoped the last one isn't a yes. They would have been a weird couple. Nevertheless, why are they in a restaurant? Are they having a date? He then imagined what it would be like if Hiroshi and Nozomi were a couple. 

Hiroshi talks to Nozomi in a flirty way and starts touching each other. They then pulled each other close as they got into a long, deep kiss. Hiroshi grabs her breasts and she grabs his crotch. The next moment, they started licking each other's tongues and removing one another's clothes. 

"Why the hell did I think so far?" Yosuke thought as his face turned red. 

Umi snapped her fingers in front of his face, "Yosuke-san, are you okay? Do you have anything on your mind?"

"Fuck no!" He screamed out loud as he leaned back on the chair. The chair then lost balance and he fell down onto the floor. He groaned in pain. Umi and Honoka helped him up as the rest looked at him.

"Are you fine, Yosuke-san?" Umi asked worriedly, "You seem distracted by something. Mind telling us about it so that we can help you?"

"Nah, it's okay. I'm just reminded of bad memories in my university last time." He lied, "That's all. Let's start our dinner." He then decided that he's going to Hiroshi's house later to talk to him about it.

**\--µ’s--**

Nico donned a white shirt and pink skirt. She then went out of her room to the living room, where Hiroshi and Nozomi were waiting.

"See, you're so pretty in that casual outfit instead of some racing pajamas." Nozomi teased her.

"State your business, Nozomi." Nico sat down on the couch, "What are you here for today? More advice on your relationship? Or perhaps you want to learn racing and drifting? Or you just wanted to see me on how I'm doing?"

"Well, you’re partially right, but the main reason is because of this man right here." Nozomi pointed to him, "Have you raked up enough money for Cocoro-chan's high school fees though, Nico-chi?"

"I still have some leftover money for myself." Nico replied, "What about you, Nozomi? Are you still chasing Eli?"

She sighed, "I've talked to her earlier today, but it looks like the feelings are still there. It won't go away. Have you been in touch with Maki-chan, though? You two have not seen each other for ages." Nico kept quiet and turned away when she heard that, "It's not like I didn't want to talk." She muttered.

"Anyways, this man here is my friend that I've told you about in our calls." Nozomi changed the topic, "He's Hiroshi Oshiro, the guy who wanted to reform µ's. He is sincere in doing so. He has gotten everyone except you and Maki-chan."

"Including you?" Nico asked, in which the purple haired woman nodded. 

"Hey, Nico Yazawa." Hiroshi talked, "I know it's sudden for me to just blurt it out, but I'll be straightforward. What's your family's condition now?"

"Huh?"

"I just want to know you better, so that I can help you." Hiroshi responded, "I know being an idol is your dream. I hope you will join µ's, so I will do anything in my capacity to help you."

"Hiroshi, right?" Nico stood up and walked to him, "You think I couldn't be an idol? I could be one anytime, and you wouldn't even know! I just don't want to. I chose to be a racer because of the money it brings me! The adrenaline when I'm racing! The excitement when I win against someone in a race! This is my new life. The idol bullshit is behind me." Hiroshi looked at her with surprise, as if he couldn't believe what she had said.

"Are you sure you don't care about being an idol, Nico?" He questioned, raising one eye, "In interviews I've read about you, you wanted to be a top idol, being welcomed by your fans in the airport. You will work hard for the sake of continuing to sparkle as an idol until THE END OF TIME. Have you forgotten what you said?"

"You really did your research." Nico crossed her arms, "Impressive. I said those when I was seventeen, when I was too young and too innocent. Now I've changed my mind. I'm quite sick and tired of being an idol. It was lots of hard work, and it stressed me out."

"Wow, that's so unlike you." He commented, "Have you changed somehow?"

"It's the new me, take it or leave it." Nico said, "I'm not interested in becoming an idol anymore. It takes up too much time, and I have completely no interest in it anymore. My idol life's behind me now. Besides, racing's the shit. It got me so pumped up in life. Winning first not only makes me happy, but it also benefits my siblings as I get the cash prize. It's a win-win solution."

"But..." Nozomi tried to talk but Nico interrupted her, "So now, if you excuse me, I want to sleep. You two can see yourselves to the door, because I don't have the energy to see you out. Oh yeah, and by the way, don't reveal my identity, or I'll slit your throat." Nozomi and Hiroshi then went out of the house. 

"She's like that ever since I saw her in her first race." Nozomi sighed, "She said that being a racer was way better than being an idol. I don't know what happened to her, or what changed her. I find it very strange, for her to dump her idol life behind her. It's so not like her. What do we do now, Hiroshi-chan?"

"Well, I don't know. I'll probably wait for a while more while I think of what to say to her the next time." Hiroshi grumbled, "Why do all the shorties of µ's give me trouble? I don't understand. First Hanayo, then Rin, now Nico. But you asked Nico about Maki. What happened to them?"

"Maki's father separated them." She then walked away. Hiroshi thought that is not a clear answer, but ignored it and followed her.

A few minutes later, Hiroshi opened the door to his home. He came in, switched on the lights, and got a shock immediately as he saw Yosuke sitting on the sofa.

"You almost gave me a heart attack, Yosuke." Hiroshi heaved a sigh of relief, "What are you doing here so late in the night?"

"I should be asking you that." Yosuke glared at him, "Where have you been this whole night? I can't get you through your phone, and you won't reply to my messages."

"I already told you. I went out with a friend who returned from overseas. I went to have a drink with him, and we talked about life."

"Oh really?" Yosuke asked, "Because I didn't know your friend has purple hair. She is also called Nozomi Tojo."

"Yosuke, hear me out..."

"You went out with Nozomi-chan, and you didn't even tell me or Honoka-chan and her friends anything." Yosuke growled at him, "You didn't even say that you got a date with her. Do you like her because of her big bust? You know the rest of µ's won't look at you the same way again, so why are you dating her?"

"Let me explain, Yosuke." Hiroshi sighed. He then started explaining the events that happened in between the previous afternoon and now. From Nozomi talking to him about her feelings towards Eli, to the outing she and Eli had, and the race where he met Nico Yazawa.

"So, yesterday afternoon, Nozomi actually was in the arrival hall, and she managed to escape from our sights?" Yosuke queried. Hiroshi nodded his head.

"Me and Eli-chan were there for more than an hour, waiting there like idiots for Nozomi-chan to appear, only for her to run away! My legs were about to die, and you said nothing about it!"

"My apologies, Yosuke. She just didn't want to see Eli at that time. Now she's fine. I've sent her a note about the ways she can respond to Eli. I promise you a thing like this won't happen again."

"Well, at least Nozomi-chan agreed to join µ's. What about Nico-chan? Did she say anything?" 

Hiroshi shook his head, "She said she would rather race than be an idol. She threw her idol life behind her, according to what she told me and Nozomi."

"Nico-chan not wanting to become an idol?" Yosuke is surprised, "That's like saying my mother didn't give birth to me! That is obviously a lie! She's definitely lying!" 

"Of course I know! I wasn’t born yesterday!" Hiroshi said, "I'll try to think of what to say to her to convince her. Or...perhaps she's speaking the truth. Her face looked serious when she said that to me."

"Impossible. I know for a fact, it's never possible. Nico-chan's the most energetic in being an idol. You got to come up with some encouraging and hard hitting speech to change her mind."

"Excuse me, do you think I'm the Superman of words? You think I can actually influence everyone with my words? They do not work all the time. One example was with Nico. Although I've tried, she did not waver. I'm just going to think of what to say over the night. Sleeping anyways will give me nightmares."

"Make sure to get some sleep, still." Yosuke said, "Your panda eyes are getting heavier. I admire that you want to get over your fears, but I don't think it's going to work. You're just going to torment yourself more by staying here. I'm going home." He then left the house. Hiroshi went to his room and closed the door.

**\-----**

The next morning, Rin is waiting for the caregiver to come to her house. She is curious on how the caregiver looks, and if he or she could take care of her father well. Rin went into her father's room to look at him.

"Hello? Is anyone at home?" A man is outside the house. Rin went out of the room and walked to the living room. She is stunned upon seeing that a man is standing outside.

"Oh my, is he the caregiver?" She thought, "He looks not bad for a caregiver." She then went to the door, "May I know if you're the nurse?"

"Yes, my friend Yosuke called me to come here to take care of your dad." He smiled, "You must be Ms Rin Hoshizora. I'm Peter Ng, but you can call me Peter."

"Come in, Peter-chan." Rin opened the door and he walked in. She brought him to his father and informed him about her father's condition. She also instructed him on what he should do in any situation. She passed him the medication for her father's condition.

"The timings are stated on the cover, so just follow those." Rin said, "Do you understand everything I said? Do you need me to repeat anything?"

"Nope. I understood everything you said."

"I'll be paying you every month. Do I give it to you or do you have a bank account that I can send the money to?"

"You can give it to me." He replied. 

"I hope you can take care of my father well." Rin said, "He might be a bit crazy and weird, but he's human after all."

"I understand. No worries, I take my job seriously. I will do it well."

"Thank you, nya~." Rin smiled. She is relieved that Hiroshi had found someone suitable to take care of her father. She can now safely go to training without worrying for him.

Meanwhile, at the local Kanda Shrine, Umi, Honoka, Kotori, Eli, and Hanayo are in their exercising attire. Umi told them yesterday, during dinner, that they are going to have training to keep themselves fit so that they can dance.

"Why does it gotta be so early?" Honoka whined, "I'm too lazy to run."

"Me too." Hanayo groaned, "I don't think I can make it today."

"Our first exercise will be running up and down the stairs." Umi stated, "I will be recording your timings for each exercise. This will determine your diet, so you'd better take this seriously. Now go." The other four women then jogged down the stairs. Yosuke and Hiroshi went to her.

"Morning, Umi-chan." Yosuke greeted.

"Morning, Yosuke-san and Hiroshi-san." Umi greeted back, "I'm glad you guys could make it to today's practice session. You two can sit down at the back and watch us do some exercises."

"What are you girls currently doing?" Yosuke questioned.

"Ah, it's running up and down the stairs." Umi explained, "This will train their stamina and will allow them to wake up fully from their sleep. Of course it won't be just running. We'll do more exercises like stretches, sit-ups, squats, and more." 

"That sounds fun. I might join you sometime."

"Go ahead. We welcome you here." Umi then looked at Hiroshi worriedly, "Hiroshi-san, you have dark circles under your eyes. Are you okay? Are you not getting adequate sleep?"

"I'm fine." Hiroshi said, "It's no big deal."

"By the way, have you seen Nozomi-chan?" She asked, "I thought she agreed to join µ's. Why isn't she here yet?" Yosuke looked at Hiroshi. The latter sighed and took out his phone to call Nozomi. 

Nozomi stealthily followed Nico as the latter went into a restaurant. Nozomi stayed outside and peeked into it through the glass windows. She saw Nico ordering a bowl of glass noodles and a cup of orange juice.

"Nothing strange yet." She thought as she continued to look at an unaware Nico. Someone then tapped Nozomi on her back, and she was about to scream when that person covered her mouth and pushed her away from the windows. Nico looked at the windows as she thought she heard something, but there was nothing. She shrugged her shoulders and continued eating.

"Hiroshi-chan!" Nozomi said, "Don't scare me like that! I thought someone is going to rape me! At least message me that you've reached here!"

"You're stalking Nico for real?" He asked, "You're mad. You're crazy. I already told you I'll think of a way. Why did you go and act on your own?"

"The cards told me to." She took out a card, showing a picture and the word 'Follow'.

"Grr...fine, I'll join you just for today." Hiroshi sighed, "If we don't find anything strange about Nico by the end of the day, then we'll stop this. Deal?" Nozomi nodded her head in agreement. Both of them went back to look in the restaurant through the window, only to find Nico missing.

"She's done eating?" Nozomi is surprised, "That was fast. Let's get out." Both of them went different directions to find Nico. A few minutes later, Hiroshi managed to find her in a toy shop. He messaged Nozomi to come and find him. He then hid behind a metal grill holding some soft toys.

When Nozomi arrived, she hid behind Hiroshi.

"What's she doing here though?" He questioned.

"I remembered Cocoro-chan wanted her favorite teddy bear for her birthday, and it's next week." Nozomi replied. He then saw Nico grumbling as she forgot to bring her wallet. She apologized to the cashier before placing the teddy back back to its original place and left. The duo continued following her as she walked past a number of shops, including one that is selling idol merchandise. 

After a few minutes of walking, Nico went into a clothing store. She went to the counter and the cashier gave her a pink dress. 

While Nico is walking out, Nozomi and Hiroshi hide behind the store. Nico then went back to her home, which is nearby.

"It can't be." Nozomi said, "She...seems normal and not having any extreme emotions. She even walked past the idol store without batting an eye. It's impossible..."

"Nozomi, give it up." Hiroshi sighed, "Now you know she's normal. She has _really_ placed her idol life behind her. I'll try to change her mind and think of some things to say. Go and join the others in training, will you?"

Nozomi turned around without saying a word as she walked away. Hiroshi turned to Nico's housing apartment and crossed his arms while he looked at it.

"She's definitely hiding something from us."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The 1 month anniversary of the book is coming in 2 days, and I just want to say I'm grateful for all the hits, kudos, and comments. I have never expected something like this to get almost 500 hits, or even get comments/kudos. I am super grateful to everyone for giving this book a chance, kudos'd it, and even commented (even though I know half came from me XD). I also want to thank my proofreader, SupremeMari, for constantly helping me with my writing bullshit, and helping me point my mistakes out!
> 
> With that message out of the way, I do hope you continue to support this book and enjoy reading it as much as I like making it. Thank you, and have a wonderful day ahead!


	12. Way To Her Heart

At the Kanda Shrine, the current members of µ's, except Rin and Nozomi, are running up the stairs. Eli reached first, followed by Kotori, Hanayo, and Honoka. The latter two huffed and puffed as they gasped for air.

"This is torture..." Hanayo mumbled.

"Is climbing stairs usually this hard?" Honoka whined, "I do that every day in my house, so why is this so difficult?"

"Next up, we have a five kilometers run." Umi announced, "As usual, I'll record the timings, so all you have to do is give it your best to run the whole track." The rest nodded and started running from the start to the end. 

"You're not joining them, Umi-chan?" Yosuke asked. She shook her head, "I know that I'm fit enough because I do archery in my free time."

"Right, archery requires a lot of physical and mental strength." Yosuke said, "There's this one time where my archer friend told me to try it. It drained my energy so much I had to call for a time out. It sure is a lot of hard work, so I understand what you're going through during archery."

"I've gotten used to it, so it's okay for me now." Umi said, "My parents want me to inherit the dojo where I do my archery in, but I traded that for an office job. The last time me and my father met, it didn't end well. I don't think he'll be happy to see me again if I told him I changed my office job into becoming an idol. He thinks it's a waste of time becoming one."

"I'm not trying to offend anyone, but your father knows nothing about idols!" Yosuke exclaimed, "Idols are such sweet, cute, pretty people! Not only do they dance well, they sing well too! Their songs are always relatable to life, and it gives a lot of people motivation!"

"I'm glad you think of idols that way, Yosuke-san." Umi smiled at him, "That makes us happy. I'm glad to have met such an avid fan of idols like you."

"Me too. I'm glad to meet my favorite idol of all time, Sonoda Umi-chan." Upon hearing it, she blushed and looked away shyly. Honoka looked at him with a cheeky smile, "Making your move, huh, Yosuke-san?" Yosuke sighed and ignored her.

A few minutes later, the girls came back from their run. After a five minute break, they went on to do sit-ups. At this point, Nozomi walked up the stairs and saw them.

"Nozomi-chan." Umi went to her, "Are you okay? You look down. Did anything happen?"

"Nothing." Nozomi smiled. Yosuke went to her, "Nozomi, you can't find anything out of Nico-chan, right?"

"Nico?" Eli questioned, "Nozomi, have you seen Nico?"

"Nico-chan's alive!" Hanayo said. Nozomi nodded to her in response to his question, "Nico-chi's being a weirdo. She said she left her idol life behind her, and now she's not really doing anything related to idol activities."

"What?!" The rest got a shock upon hearing that. 

"That's impossible." Honoka voiced out, "She loves idols so much. There's no way she's not doing anything related to idols."

"That's like cutting off her hands and legs." Umi added on, "Are you sure Nico said that?"

Hiroshi then slowly appeared behind her. He looked very worn out.

"Hiroshi-san, are you okay?" Kotori asked, "You look like you could crash onto the floor anytime."

"Me?" Hiroshi asked with his eyes half closed, "Nah, I'm alright. Don't worry 'bout me. Do your things."

"I don't think you look fine." Yosuke walked to him. As he touched Hiroshi's shoulder, the latter closed his eyes and fell straight onto the floor. Kotori and Yosuke rushed to him.

"Dude, are you okay?" Yosuke shook his body, "Shit, he passed out." Kotori then felt his forehead and looked at Yosuke worriedly, "He has a high fever. We should bring him to Honoka-chan's home, and I'll cool his forehead down with some cold water and a cloth."

Yosuke nodded and looked at the unconscious Hiroshi.

**\--µ’s--**

Hiroshi slowly opened his eyes and looked around. He is in Honoka's room, lying down on her bed with the blanket covering his body. A bowl of ice water is on the small table beside him.

He sat up and rubbed his eyes. He remembered that the last thing he saw was the floor at the shrine. He must have been tired as he had not slept from the previous night. He was thinking about how he should talk to Nico.

Kotori came in with a cloth and looked at him, "Hiroshi-san, you're awake. Thank goodness. We had a scare when you fainted earlier."

"I'm sorry to make you and Yosuke worried." He said, "I disrupted your training, didn't I?"

"It's okay." She smiled as she placed the cloth into the ice water and then onto his forehead, "I finished it earlier. Now Umi-chan is tallying the timings and planning the diets for each of us. Are you feeling okay now, though?"

"Yeah, thanks for asking." Hiroshi replied, "I was trying to think of ways to convince Nico to join µ's that I didn't sleep the whole night yesterday. After that, I had to follow Nozomi to stalk Nico, and we found nothing interesting."

"I know you're working hard for µ's to be back together again, Hiroshi-san." Kotori told him with a worried look on her face, "But don't overexert yourself. You have to get some rest. We will try our best to help you if you need any, Hiroshi-san. For now, take a day's rest, and don’t even think of anything. Just let your body rest."

"Alright. Where's the rest, though?"

"Eli-chan, Nozomi-chan, and Hanayo-chan went home to take their lunch. They'll be coming back later. Yosuke-chan and Umi-chan are waiting for Honoka-chan to buy grapes for you. He said you like them, so he told Honoka-chan to buy it while he made some chicken soup with some help from Umi-chan. I'll be cooking some cabbage and porridge for you to go along with the chicken soup for your lunch. We don't want to let you feel left out, so we decided to eat porridge and cabbage for lunch too."

"Aww, that's so sweet. I appreciate you guys." Hiroshi grinned at her, "And thank you for taking care of me today, Kotori. Sorry I was a burden."

"You're not a burden, Hiroshi-san. You're helping us to achieve our dreams, so we should help you too." Kotori stood up, "Stay in bed, okay? I'll bring your lunch up. I wonder if Honoka-chan is back." Hiroshi nodded his head. She looked at him once more before walking out of the room. 

" _What a sweet girl she is._ " Hiroshi thought to himself.

In the kitchen, Umi and Yosuke are waiting for Honoka to come back. It has been forty five minutes since she went out, and she still has not returned. Yosuke paced up and down the kitchen while Umi just leaned against the wall. Kotori went to them and asked if Honoka's back. Both of them shook their heads.

"Guys, I'm back!" Honoka called out as she walked into the house and went to the kitchen. 

"Honoka-chan, what took you so long?" Yosuke questioned, "I asked you to buy a box of grapes, not the whole supermarket! What the hell did you do outside?"

"You would not believe who I saw." Honoka said, "I saw the one and only Nico-chan! I saw her walking into an idol shop nearby here."

"You say what?" Hiroshi came out of the room and walked down. Kotori ran to him, "Hiroshi-san, I thought I told you to stay in the room. Why did you come out?"

"I heard Honoka had seen Nico in some idol shop." Hiroshi replied, "Honoka, please continue."

**_A few minutes ago..._ **

_Honoka was walking back to her house from the supermarket. She had been asked by Yosuke to buy a box of grapes for Hiroshi._

_As she was strolling past the flower shop, she saw a familiar figure outside the store beside it. She was quite short, had black hair tied into ponytails, and was also staring at a figurine wearing idol clothes._

_"Is that...Nico-chan?" Honoka thought as the woman went into the store. The brown-haired woman followed her in. Upon stepping in, she saw many magazines that had idols on their covers, music albums of famous idols and idol groups, and even figurines of idols! She realized she was in an idol shop._

_She pretended to look around as the woman went to the counter and spoke in a childlike voice, "Meg, may I know if that Rose Flower figurine on the display shelf is still available for me to buy?"_

_"I'm sorry, Nico, but that one is just for display." The shop owner told her, "But I can preorder one for you. I'll notify you when it comes so that you can collect it."_

_"Sure." The woman replied. After a few seconds, the owner thanked her. Honoka then stopped looking at the albums and went to the counter, only to find out that the woman was gone. Honoka was confused. How could she have disappeared very quickly?_

**_Back to the present..._ **

"It adds up." Honoka said, "Nico-chan is a frantic idol lover, and she would definitely step into that shop. Besides, she's short and has two ponytails."

Umi shook her head, "Nozomi told us Nico isn't interested in idols anymore. It might be someone else that looks like her. There are so many people in the world with ponytails and just as short as Nico. It might be just your imagination."

Honoka nodded her head and passed Yosuke the grapes. Kotori took out a cabbage and started slicing it into pieces before putting it into a pan and frying it. Yosuke warmed the soup up while Honoka steamed the rice and Umi went to set up the table.

After the dishes are done, they are placed on the table and everyone sits around the table to eat. They said 'itadakimasu' before eating the food. The three women talked about their old memories while the two men listened.

After lunch, Yosuke pulled Hiroshi to a corner while the women were cleaning up the plates and tables. 

"What's the deal?" Hiroshi groaned, "We're leaving the girls to do the work. Shouldn't we go and help them?"

"This concerns you, dumbo." Yosuke folded his arms, "You didn't get sleep at all yesterday, didn't you? I already told you not to live in that house and move back to mine, but you refused. Now you can't sleep because you keep thinking of the incident. Must you be so willful?"

"I will be able to get over that bad thought, Yosuke." Hiroshi replied, "You have to give me some time."

"Let me move in with you." He is surprised by what his friend had just suggested to him. He shook his head, "I want you to take care of your mother, not take care of me. Your mother will be inconvenienced if her son stays with someone else besides her. I'll be fine." He then patted Yosuke's shoulders and went to help Kotori in washing the bowls and plates.

Yosuke shook his head and sighed, "If he's fine, he still wouldn't be thinking about it three years later. Why is he still very stubborn and obstinate?"

A few minutes later, Nozomi, Eli, and Hanayo went to Honoka's house to hear what Umi has to say about their morning exercise.

"I have taken note of your timings for your runs, and the number of sit-ups you did within a minute." Umi announced, "I have the results here. Some of them are satisfactory..." She then glared at Hanayo and Honoka, "...while some are not."

The bluenette turned to look at Honoka first, "Honoka, for the first run you did, you took a total of two minutes and fourteen seconds For your five kilometers run, you took over an hour to finish it. It seems like you have slacked a lot."

"It's been seven years, Umi-chan." Honoka said, "I was busy helping my mother tend the stall. I got no time for exercises."

Umi cleared her throat and gave Honoka a paper. The latter is shocked upon reading it.

"Because your results are so bad, I have no choice but to set a food plan for you." Umi told her, "From now on, you'll be going through a diet."

"That's all I'm getting for lunch and dinner?" Honoka whined. She then collapsed onto Kotori's lap dramatically as Nozomi played the beginning Beethoven's Symphony No.5 on her phone.

"Don't die, Honoka-chan!" Kotori screamed worriedly, "Wake up!"

"And, Hanayo," Umi turned to the blonde, "Your timings are just a bit better than Honoka's. In other words, you're basically in the same state as her. Look at the menu and that will be your diet until you lose some weight."

Hanayo snatched the paper from Honoka and read it. Upon doing so, her hands trembled and she dropped the paper, "N...no...no more...r...rice..."

"Hanayo, are you okay?" Eli asked her. 

"The rest of you are okay." Umi said, "Nozomi, take note that your weight is just a bit higher than the reasonable weight. Just take note of what you're eating. For Honoka, lay off the carbohydrates and sweets, especially bread. For Hanayo, no more rice." Hanayo whimpered when she heard that. 

"Geez, Umi-chan, you're a monster!" Honoka pouted.

"To stay healthy and keep fit, we'll exercise every morning, just like this morning!" Umi decided. 

In the evening, Maki Nishikino stood up from her seat in the office. She is working as a doctor in the Nishikino hospital. She had just finished work, so she is about to go home now.

She got into her Mercedes Benz SLS AMG and drove off from the hospital. She drove to her house, which is a mansion, and parked her car in the garage. She took off her black heels and placed them on the shoe rack inside the mansion.

She then walked up the stairs to the second floor and into her room. She took off her doctor's coat and her black collared shirt off, as well as her black skirt and nylon stockings. She took out a casual shirt and short pants and wore them. She went to the kitchen and whipped some instant noodles for her dinner and ate it afterwards. 

As she was eating, she took out her phone and was about to check her messages when a notification appeared. It stated that it has been three years since a photo of hers was taken. She checked it out, and it was a selfie. To be exact, she was the one taking it, while Nico's head was on her shoulder, smiling at the camera. Maki sighed and placed the phone facing down on the table. 

**\-----**

The sun shone brightly on Hiroshi as he stared at the aftermath of an accident outside his house. He is standing on the opposite side of his house. A woman squatted down next to the person who got knocked down by a car. She looked like she was shaking his body and crying at the same time. She then took out her phone and called someone. The driver came out and went to the two. Hiroshi could only stare with shock as he stood rooted to the ground. He is too scared to say anything or even move. His mind is a total blank.

He woke up with a start. Again. This always happens every night as he would wake up in the middle of the night in cold sweat due to the same nightmare. He looked at the clock and realized it's one in the morning. He then heard loud moaning sounds. Not from his house, but from the neighbouring house.

"Jeez, can they not moan so loud?" He muttered to himself, "They don't need to let the whole world know they're having sex. Noisy ass motherfuckers." He then yawned and went back to sleep. He hoped he would not dream of the incident again.

At nine in the morning, the current members of µ's and Yosuke are exercising at the local shrine while Umi recorded the timings for Rin's runs. After that, everyone took a short break

"I'm glad you've decided to join us today, Yosuke-san." Umi smiled at him.

"It's okay, I just wanted to keep fit and healthy." He replied, "I'm such an old man. To prevent my body from failing on me, I have to start exercising. I would like to attract girls too, so I can't look too old." 

"You still look so young at your age. People will surely think that you're thirty, like us." She told him, "You're quite handsome too. I'm sure you can attract a woman easily with your personality and looks."

"Thanks for the praise, Umi-chan."

"Where's Hiroshi-san, Yosuke-san?" Rin questioned.

"Oh, he said he was going for a walk nearby after bringing me here." Yosuke answered, "I actually wonder what he is doing now."

At the same time, Hiroshi took a walk at the park nearby Honoka's house. He wanted to check the idol shop out to see if anything there might interest him. 

He can't believe he dreamed of the accident again after going back to sleep, causing him to feel tired again. Well, at least he slept for four hours. It's better than nothing. After walking for a few minutes, he finally saw the idol shop. He got in and the shop owner went to him, "Welcome. May I help you?"

"I just want to take a look around." He then went to the magazines section and glanced at some of them. He spotted a familiar magazine cover and took it out from the stack. It was the one Yosuke owned. The one that talked about µ's. The one that made Yosuke love the idol group.

As he was flipping through the pages, he heard someone walk into the store and asked, "I'm here to collect my figure."

Hiroshi decided to hide behind a shelf of music albums and peeked his head out just a bit to see what's going on. As soon as he saw the woman at the counter, he knew that it was Nico. He decided to record this down on his phone so that he can use it against her.

"Ah, you're back!" The shop owner rummaged through a box nearby. She took out a figurine and passed it to Nico, "Lucky for you, the stock came in early." Nico squealed in delight at it.

"Thank you for ordering for me, Meg!" She said to the shop owner, "You have no idea how long I was looking for this! I was waiting to complete the collection of Rose Flower figurines!"

"I'm glad you like it." Meg smiled at her, "I heard they are holding a meet-and-greet session, signing their CDs. You want one?"

"Of course!" Nico exclaimed, "They're one of my favorite idol groups! I'm a big fan of them! When is it though?"

"This Friday."

"Aww, shucks. I can't make it." Nico sighed, "I'll bring my CD over. Can you help me get their signature, please? I would love to get it!"

"Sure, Nico." Meg grinned, "I've never seen a bigger fan of idols than you." At this moment, Hiroshi's phone shut off. He realized he had forgotten to charge it the previous night. He silently cursed as Nico walked out of the store.

In the night, Nozomi and Eli met up for dinner. They went to a restaurant and ordered some food. While waiting, Eli struck a conversation with her best friend.

"Nozomi, do you think that Nico really changed?" She questioned, "It's impossible for her to just suddenly dislike idols. She's always so energetic about being one, so it feels weird for her to say she's no longer interested in becoming one now."

Nozomi felt that Nico would definitely not change. Just like how Nozomi didn't lose her feelings for Eli no matter what she did, Nico couldn't possibly have lost her interest in idols even if the world is falling. 

"You look so deep in thought, Nozomi." Eli said, "Care to share with me about what you're thinking?"

Nozomi shook her head, "It's nothing, Eli-chi. I'm sure Nico-chi would drop that facade of hers and be her true self when Hiroshi-chan talks to her." Just like how he did to her, she thought.

Somewhere in the carpark, Nico won another race. The host held her hand up high as the crowd cheered loudly. She bowed and went back into her car before driving down the carpark. As she was going down the slope from the second to the first floor, Hiroshi suddenly appeared at the bottom of it. She had to forcefully step on the brake as her car stopped just before it could hit Hiroshi.

She came out of the car, screaming, "Are you crazy? What the hell do you think you're doing? You could have been killed! Don't fool around here."

"You seemed to be hiding a lot from me, don't you?" He asked. 

"I ain't hiding shit from you. Now get out of my way." Nico is about to get back in her car when he showed her the recording. 

"This is you." He said, "You went to an idol shop to collect a figurine you ordered the previous day. You are a big fan of Rose Flower, an idol group. You got lots of their figurines too. They are also one of your favorite idol groups. That means you're still a fan of idols. Am I right to say that?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, and who that woman in the video is." She then got into her car and drove off. Hiroshi shook his head in disappointment.

The next morning, Nico cooked some bacon and eggs for her siblings. She placed them on the dining table and called out for them to eat. 

While they were eating, Nico went to check her phone. She received a message with a video attachment from a random number. She looked at it and was appalled by it. It is a video of her dancing to Natsuiro Egao de 1,2, Jump in her own living room. 

She then read the message, "If you want me to delete the video, come down to the food court near your house and find me." She told her siblings to go to school on their own. She then rushed out of the house and to the food court. She ran through crowds and queues, trying to find the man. She definitely knew who did this. It could only be one guy.

She then turned to her left, and saw the person she is looking for, drinking a cup of tea. The one and only guy who would do this kind of thing. Hiroshi.

He looked up at her and smiled, "Take a seat, Nico."


	13. My True Emotions

The previous night, in Hiroshi's house, he is lying down on the sofa in the living room while Yosuke is cutting pears. He put the slices on a plate and placed it on a small table beside Hiroshi.

"What are you smiling at?" Yosuke asked curiously. Hiroshi passed his phone to Yosuke and told him to play the video on it. The latter is surprised upon seeing it.

"That's Nico-chan?" He asked. Hiroshi nodded his head, "She's dancing to the song where she is the center. A true idol indeed."

"But didn't she say to you that she threw her idol life behind?" Yosuke is confused, "What's with this? What's going on?"

"Easy peasy." Hiroshi took a slice of the pear, "She lied to us. The only thing I don't know is why. Why did she lie to me and Nozomi?"

"Probably because of personal reasons." Yosuke replied, "Remember Hanayo-chan and Rin-chan? They're like this too. We had a really hard time convincing them too. Now it's just the same thing with Nico-chan. And what's more weird is that they are all shorties. They are the three shortest girls in µ's!"

"Nico's a pain in the ass." Hiroshi sighed, "I had to do so many things just to try and sway her into joining µ's and make her realize her true potential. I have never put in so much effort to convince someone before. She should be grateful."

"You did a lot?” Yosuke looked at his best friend with surprise, “Like what?"

"I followed her, talked to her, filmed a video, told her younger sister to film another video, and finally talked to the idol shop owner."

"That...is some dedication right there.” Yosuke is taken aback, “I'm sorry for not contributing or helping at all. I'm the one who wanted µ's to get back together, yet I'm letting you or the girls do all the job. I really feel bad."

"It's okay. I'm doing this because you helped me and Hisashi a lot of times throughout our lives. It's only right for me to help you back." Hiroshi ate the last slice, "Alright, time for you to go home. I don't want your mother calling me. The last time that happened, I got screamed at. I didn't like it."

"My mum's like that. She's overprotective of me." Yosuke chuckled, "That's just her. I'll see you tomorrow. Make sure to get some rest." He then left the house. Hiroshi lied on his bed and thought about how to confront Nico with all the evidence he had on his hands. Out of the blue, an idea struck him.

The next morning, he waited at a food court near Nico's house. He ordered a cup of tea and waited at a table. He then gave Yosuke a call. 

"You remember the video of Nico dancing? I'm going to send that to you." He explained, "Then, you forward that video to Nico along with a message. I'm going to send both things to you. You just need to copy them and send it to her."

"Why should I do it?" Yosuke retorted, "Why not you? You're the one who came up with this idea, after all."

"She might have my number saved, so she might ignore me. But she won't ignore a random stranger's number having a video of her dancing. When she reads the message, I'm pretty sure she will freak out and would want to find out who sent the video. C'mon, bro. Help me out a little, please. It's for me. It's for you. It's for µ's."

Yosuke sighed, "Fine."

A few minutes later, Hiroshi is drinking his tea when he sees Nico frantically looking for someone. He pretended to continue drinking and waited for her to come to him. A few minutes later, she found him and marched up to him. He then looked up and smiled at her, "Take a seat, Nico."

**\--µ’s--**

Nico stirred her cup of coffee as Hiroshi looked at her. She sat opposite of him.

"Good morning, Nico!" He greeted with enthusiasm, "You look so flustered. I wonder what happened. Why do you look so unsettled?"

"You still dare to tell me that when you send me that video!" Nico screamed at him.

"How could I be the one?" Hiroshi asked, "You don't have anything to support your claims."

"You..."

"I'm just joking." Hiroshi laughed, "You're right. I told my friend to send it to you. On a serious note, you don't have to lie to me anymore, Nico. You still like idols like last time. You were lying when you said that you're leaving your idol life behind you. Sending a dancing video to you obviously sends you into a frenzy."

"It's not just any video!" Nico exclaimed, "It's a video where I dance to my center song! That's so embarrassing."

"And the video I showed you yesterday...must have certainly gave you a shock. Just your luck to bump into me, giving me a chance to see through your lies. Am I great?"

"Yeah." She sighed, "Even if I kept hiding the truth, you would eventually find out. You win. I still love idols like before. But how did you know? How did you get all that evidence and deduce that I'm lying?"

"It took me quite a lot of work, and you acted quite well. I'm not gonna lie." Hiroshi explained, "Let's start with the first thing. The first time I met you, which was after the race. You brought me and Nozomi to your house. Before we could even enter, you forbade us, saying you wanted to clear your messy house. You clearly knew I am the man reuniting µ's, and that I would try and convince you to join. You cleared anything and everything idol-related. When you finally let us in, I realised something else..."

**A few days before...**

_Nico opened the front door and allowed Nozomi and Hiroshi in the house. She told them to not touch anything while she takes a shower. After going into her room, Nozomi went to the toilet. Hiroshi looked around the living room. It is like a normal house. A living room, dining table, a sofa, three rooms, a kitchen, and a television. He saw the drawer under it slightly ajar._

_Out of curiosity, he peeked at the hole and saw magazines. It wouldn't be anything if it was just some normal ones. However, once he saw Rose Flower, an idol group, on the cover, he took it out and saw more idol magazines under the first one._

**Back to the present...**

"I guess you're in a hurry, which is why you didn't close that drawer properly." Hiroshi said, "The reason why I was so surprised when you said you left that life behind you is because I saw those magazines in your house, and I couldn't believe what you had said. That's when I knew you were lying. I was going to try and talk to you in a different way, and the magazines you had weren't sufficient as evidence. Me and Nozomi followed you the next day around the mall near your house, and found nothing wrong. You walked right past the idol shop without looking at it."

"I knew you were following me from the restaurant. That's why I had to do so. You two made such loud noises while I was eating. I suppose that's not all?"

"Of course not. I was taking a walk at another idol shop. The one you visited to order a figurine. I recorded your encounter but my phone ran out of battery, so only some parts could be seen. Anyways, I went to talk to the owner Meg. She knew you because like her, you are a hardcore fan of idols. She knew she could click well with you. She said you have a big collection of idol figurines, music albums, and even magazines. She also told me she has never seen such someone being such a big fan of idols until she met you."

Hiroshi stopped talking for a while and drank his tea before he continued, "This last thing I've done to get evidence...you wouldn't expect it. When I was following you that time, I saw you walk into a toy shop, wanting to buy a teddy bear, but couldn't do so because you forgot to bring your wallet. I bought that."

"No wonder I couldn't find it when I was about to go for my race." Nico groaned, "The cashier told me someone bought it. But what did you use it for?"

Hiroshi grinned at her, "I'm glad you asked."

**A few days ago...**

_Hiroshi brought Eli to a junior high school. It isn't that big of a building, but enough to hold some students in. They stood outside the school gate as they patiently waited for school to end._

_"Why did you bring me along, Hiroshi?" Eli questioned, "And what are we doing here?"_

_"You will see." He replied, "We're waiting for someone important. She could help me to convince Nico to join µ's."_

_"She?" Before the blonde could guess any names, the dismissal bell was heard loud and clear. That signified that school had ended. Students then walked out of the school, walking past the two adults and talking about their own stuff._

_Hiroshi scanned for the person he is looking for. Finally, he had finally found her after searching for a few minutes. He cleared his throat and called out for her, "Cocoro Yazawa!"_

_A girl looked around in confusion. She then saw him and Eli. She ran to the latter, "I remember you. You're Onee-chan's friend, right? You're in µ's too right?"_

_"Used to be." Eli smiled, "Long time no see, Cocoro-chan." She then looked at Hiroshi, who squatted down in front of the girl._

_"Cocoro." He said, "How are you doing? I am your older's sister friend. You can call me Uncle Hiroshi."_

_"Who are you, mister?" Cocoro scratched her head, "I don't remember seeing you anywhere before, and I don't remember Onee-chan having a male friend. Might you be Onee-chan's suitor? Or a baddie?"_

_Hiroshi rolled his eyes before taking out a teddy bear from his bag and gave it to her, "Uncle is not a baddie. I am a good man. I got you this gift because your birthday is coming soon. I know you like this teddy bear."_

_"How did you know that my birthday is coming up, and that this teddy bear is my favorite?" She asked, "Only Onee-chan knows this teddy bear is my favorite."_

_"Your sister told me about it. That's why I said we're friends." Hiroshi responded, "If you don't believe me, you can ask the blonde woman. You know her. She's a close friend of your sister."_

_Cocoro looked at Eli, who nodded her head. The former then turned to Hiroshi, "Alright, I trust you, Uncle."_

_"That's great!" Hiroshi smiled, "Thank you, Cocoro! I was hoping you could answer a question for me. Does your sister still love idols?"_

_"Of course! That's the one thing about Ones-chan that never changes!" Cocoro answered without hesitation, "She loves them so much. She always tells me and my siblings she became a super idol because of them, even up to this day! In fact, she always dances in the living room to a lot of idol songs! It's like a daily thing for her."_

_"Oh really?" His eyes lit up, "Could you record it for me, please? I would really appreciate it, and I hope it's not too much for you to do."_

_"I can do that, but...why would you need it, Uncle?"_

_"Umm..." Hiroshi tried thinking of an excuse. Within a few seconds, he managed to come up with one._

_"You see, I'm interested in her dance. I wonder what makes people so happy when they see her dance. She doesn't dance in front of me once, so I don't know. I doubt she's going to do so anytime. Could you show me, please?"_

_"Alright. Give me your phone number and I'll send you the video once I'm done recording it."_

_Hiroshi smiled with glee, knowing that he has a way to force Nico to admit that she's lying._

**Back to the present...**

"So that video was taken by Cocoro-chan, and then she sent it to you, and you told your friend to send it to me so that I can guess who sent it?" Nico shook her head, "My siblings are out there to embarrass me. And you are one cheeky person. Using all these tactics to expose me. No fair."

"Don't mind me asking this." He leaned against his chair, "I know you still like idols, but do you ever wish you could be an idol again? I hope you don't lie to me this time. I'm serious."

Nico looked at him, "I will start from the beginning. Listen carefully, because I'm only going to say it once."

**\-----**

"It all started after university. I wanted to be an idol so bad, so I created an idol group together with Maki-chan. I got three other people with me. Together, we sang and danced together. We shot PVs, and MVs too. We did songs and performed them live in shows. We really had a fun time. Until I was too harsh. Since I was the leader, I had to make sure our group was in tip top shape, so that people would look at it as a legend idol group. I made them stay up late to write lyrics for our new songs, told them to come up with dance moves, and even have as little breaks as possible. 

“They didn't get to spend any quality family time, and they are all so worn out. I didn't realize. All I wanted was our idol group to succeed. I neglected every one of them, including Maki-chan. Eventually, the three quit, and our group died down. At that time, I couldn't take the news in at all. Maki was supporting me, suggesting to me that we can be idols on our own. I thought nothing worse than this could happen. I was dead wrong.

"Her parents knew of the failure. They took her to work in a hospital, and never allowed me or the members of µ's to ever step in. I was so devastated. To have my dreams crushed, to have my most trusted companion taken away from me, to have a family whom I have to feed, it got me all depressed. I turned to drinking, and if it wasn't for Nozomi, I wouldn't have lived on today. She was right. If I spent my money away on drinking, not only won't it solve the problem, it would also affect my family. I couldn't bear to pull them down with me because of my mistakes. My mother is in retirement, and my siblings are in school. I picked myself up and tried to find a job."

"Then how did you get into racing?" Hiroshi asked curiously.

"Ahh, that was when one of my university friends knew that I was finding a job. She told me her boyfriend was racing for a living, and that allowed him to earn big bucks. From then on, I only allowed myself to love idols, not to be one of them. Reality hits hard. I know it's never easy to be a successful one." She looked away and sighed. After being reminded of the past again, she has a tendency to cry out loud. She didn't want to do that in front of Hiroshi though, so she held back her tears, but she was terrible at doing that as tears started flowing down from her eyes.

"Look, Nico." Hiroshi said, "I know it's hard on you. You got a family of four to take care of. All I want is to fulfill your dream. Out of all the µ's members I've met, you're the one who wants to become an idol the most. I want to reform µ's and make it the best idol group in the world again. I promise to help you achieve your lifelong dreams. I hope you can trust me and not reject my help. Alright?" He then stretched his right hand out.

Nico looked at it, "You know, before I met you, I really wonder why most of the girls trusted you. You really have a way with your words. I hope I'm not going to regret this decision." She then shook hands with him and smiled.

In the hospital, Maki is visiting one of her patients in the ward. The patient just finished a surgery, and she is fine now. Maki took a chair and sat beside her. 

"I'm glad the surgery went fine, Takahashi-san." Maki told her, "How are you feeling now?"

"I'm feeling way better than before now." The woman smiled at her, "Thanks for informing me about my condition before it got worse. I'm surprised you could find a stage 2 breast cancer that quickly and told me to go for surgery right away. If you hadn't seen me in the toilet, I would have just dismissed it as a body ache."

"I'm just doing my job, Takahashi-san." Maki smiled, "Remember to take more rests. I'll be going back to my office." 

At the Kanda Shrine, Yosuke and the current µ's members are doing stretches. They are cooling down from all the long runs and sit ups they did earlier.

"So, you're saying Hiroshi-san went to find Nico-chan?" Honoka asked the man, "Hiroshi-san really never gives up, does he?"

"But Nico-chi has already said she's not interested in idol life." Nozomi voiced out, "Would she even change her mind at all?"

"I agree with Nozomi-chan." Umi added on, "I think it's impossible that Nico would just agree to joining. Each of us here joined because we want to be idols, and our love for singing, dancing, and idols are unwavering."

"I disagree. I'm sure Nico-chan is lying." Hanayo said, "Nobody can forget something they like for years and then pretend it isn't there anymore."

"Nico-chan loves idols so much that there is no way for her to put her idol life behind her, nya~" Rin commented.

"I believe that Hiroshi can bring Nico over." Yosuke spoke, "He told me he has done a lot of things to make sure Nico gets into µ's."

"Eli-chan, you know something about it, right?" Kotori queried, "Hiroshi-san requested for you to follow him. What was it for?"

"He brought me along so that he could talk to Cocoro-chan and gain her trust to do something." Eli replied, "I'm not exactly sure on why he did that."

They then saw Hiroshi walking up the flight of stairs with Nico behind him. Everyone except Yosuke looked at him with shock and surprise.

"I've brought our eighth member here." Hiroshi announced, "Her name is Nico Yazawa, and she'll be joining µ's, starting from today."

" _Sugoi_!" Kotori clapped her hands, "You're amazing, Hiroshi-san!" The rest followed suit.

"Now, the only person we’re left with is Maki Nishikino." Hiroshi said. Everyone immediately kept quiet at that moment, knowing that it is going to be tough to even get to speak to Maki.

"Since we're done exercising, we can take a break now and we'll meet in Kotori's house at twelve for her home-cooked lunch." Umi broke the silence, "Honoka and Yosuke-san, you two are not coming, right?"

Yosuke replied with a yes while Honoka nodded her head in response, "I'll see you guys later." She then skipped off happily. As the rest are preparing to leave the shrine, Yosuke went to Umi.

"Umi-chan, can you and the girls please help to look after Hiroshi for me?" He asked, "Sometimes, he might do something rash or illogical. If I'm not there to tell him it's wrong, he won't know it is."

"Sure." She patted his shoulder, "Go and find your mother. We'll take care of it." Yosuke smiled and then walked off. 

In Rin's house, Peter is feeding her father some rice. Her father looked at the caregiver and asked about where his daughter is, and why she isn't back here. Peter explained patiently and nicely that she's in work now and will only be back in the evening.

A few minutes later, Umi, Hanayo, Rin, Eli, and Nozomi are sitting at a big and long dining table in Kotori's living room.

"So, how are we going to talk Maki-chan into joining?" Hanayo questioned. 

"We can't even step into the hospital." Eli groaned, "That stupid man forbade us from coming in at all. We won't be able to see Maki at all."

"We also don't know where she lives, or her phone number ever since she worked in the hospital." Umi uttered as Kotori placed the dishes on the table. Someone then knocked on the door. Kotori volunteered to go and open the door. Honoka is outside, frowning.

"Honoka-chan, I didn't expect that your date was done this quickly." Kotori told her. Honoka sighed, "Akiyoshi-san canceled it at the last minute, citing work as the reason."

"Again? Is Akiyoshi-san really that busy? He's not going out with you because of work? What does he work as?"

"I never asked him." Honoka replied, "He promised to postpone it. Can I join you for lunch? Do you have any extra portions that I can eat?"

"Sure!" Kotori grinned as she let her into the house, "You're lucky, because I have accidentally cooked some extra food. I thought of throwing it away, but you can eat it since you're here. Do you mind waiting for Hiroshi-san to come? We're not going to start lunch without him."

"I'm okay with it." 

When the two girls walked into the living room, they saw the others crowding around Nozomi as she was on the phone with someone.

"Hiroshi-chan, where are you now?" Nozomi is asking, "We are all waiting for you in Kotori-chan's house...Huh, why are you even doing that? You should just come and eat lunch with us. Kotori-chan cooked your share...Wait, Hiroshi-chan..." She then put her phone down and sighed.

"What happened to Hiroshi-san, Nozomi-chan?" Rin asked worriedly.

"Hiroshi-chan is following Nico-chi right now." Nozomi replied, "I'm pretty sure where Nico-chi's going to right now."

Umi then remembered what Yosuke told her and voiced out, "We're going after Hiroshi-san. Kotori, keep the dishes. We'll eat it when we're done with this. Right now, we should stop Hiroshi-san from doing anything rash in that hospital. If Nico-chan really goes there, then Hiroshi will be there too. We can't let him meet Nishikino-san. That director is a big jerk, and his words will trigger anyone."

Outside the Nishikino General Hospital, Nico stood in front of the entrance of it. She breathed in and out to cool herself down before stepping in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm quite excited for the next two chapters, it might be a really fun ride.
> 
> Still, thanks for reading my story, and have a wonderful day!


	14. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Hiroshi is driving to Nico's house to pick her up. He is going to bring her to Kotori's house to have lunch. He messaged Nico to come down in five minutes.

He can't wait to taste Kotori's cooking again. That day's cabbage was so appetizing and delectable he ate a whole plate of that without complain. He had never, in his life, ate such a delicious vegetable at all. Not even when he is eating at the world's best restaurants as The Man. 

He looked at his watch and realized he is already ten minutes late. He cursed silently and picked up the speed. As he was about to reach Nico's house, he saw her get into a taxi. He then received a text message from her, saying that he can go ahead as she has something to attend to.

Hiroshi decided to follow the taxi. He wondered where she could be headed too. Why would Nico lie to him again when she knew he could find it out eventually?

At this moment, his phone rang. He answered the call and placed it on speaker mode, "Hello, this is Hiroshi. May I know who this is?"

"Hiroshi-chan, where are you now?" It is Nozomi on the other side of the line, "We are all waiting for you in Kotori-chan's house."

"I'm busy following Nico now." Hiroshi replied, "I don't know where the hell she's going though."

"Huh, why are you even doing that?" She questioned, "You should just come and eat lunch with us. Kotori-chan cooked your share..."

"You girls can have your lunch. Save my share." Hiroshi interrupted her, "I can't talk while I’m driving, so I'm hanging up. Talk to you later." He then ended the call and looked in front. He saw the traffic light turning from yellow to red. He stepped on the accelerator and went past it before it turned to red.

He heaved a sigh of relief. At least he didn't speed past the red light, or else he would've got fined. He continued tailgating Nico's taxi closely, making sure he didn't lose sight of it.

After a few minutes of driving, he saw the taxi stopping outside a hospital. Nico got out and looked at it before going in. Hirsohi turned into a nearby car park and parked his car there. He quickly ran to the lift lobby and got into a lift. He looked around and saw a poster about Nishikino General Hospital. That's when he knew he was in the Nishikino General Hospital. 

In Kotori's house, she kept all the food in containers as the rest of the girls got ready to move out. Eli called for two taxis to come while the rest waited outside the gates. Honoka asked Umi, confused about why they’re going out now. Umi told her the reason.

"Yosuke-san told you that?" Honoka asked Umi. 

"He said Hiroshi-san might be doing something rashly, so I thought we should check up on him." Umi said in response, "Nishikino-san's not a good person after all. He doesn't like us. If Hiroshi is there, Nishikino-san probably wouldn't like the sight of him."

"Why must something happen before lunch?" Honoka grumbled as her stomach made a loud rumbling noise, "I'm so famished. I'm sure you heard my stomach rumble. It's calling for food."

"Akiyoshi-san cancelled your date again?" Umi questioned. Honoka sighed and nodded her head, "He got work to do."

"Strange. He got work only during your dates, but not other days?" Umi scratched her chin, "Could it be so coincidental?"

"It could be." Honoka sat down, "I don't know, Umi-chan. Is this normal? For a girl's boyfriend to keep working non-stop? I'm scared he'll break down one day."

"He should be okay, but I guess you should check up on him." Umi told her. She nodded and walked away to call Akiyoshi. Kotori went to Umi.

"You're talking about Akiyoshi-san, aren't you?" Kotori questioned. Umi looked at Honoka, "Kotori, I think what I fear might be true."

**\--µ’s--**

Hiroshi came out of the hospital toilet a few minutes after he arrived. It had to be done. He had to take a dump as he had a stomach ache. He didn't know what caused it, but it sure made him stay sitting on the toilet bowl for thirty minutes while he whined and clutched his stomach.

He knew he had lost Nico ever since he stepped into the toilet. He groaned and walked away from the toilet. He went to the lift lobby, pressed a button, and waited for the lift to arrive.

Before he could step into it, he heard a familiar voice. A childish like voice. He knew that was Nico and tried to track where the noise was coming from. Finally, he found her together with a man in the hallway. The man is wearing a suit and tie, and looks like he's in his fifties. He carries a very serious face.

"...please give me one more chance, Nishikino-san." Nico pleaded, "I guarantee that I won't come up with any more gimmicks. I will work extremely hard to support Maki-chan."

"What makes you think I can trust you?" Mr Nishikino smirked, "You and your bunch of brainless friends made my daughter waste years doing your stupid fucking shit, when she could've been a successful doctor. Because of you, she pushed everything else away just to be with you. I can't let her future get ruined by any one of you dancing and singing idiots, especially you."

"I swear I won't do any dancing or singing, and I will find a legitimate job to support Maki-chan." Nico said, "She won't have to suffer in pain, and she can continue to do her doctor job."

"Are you serious?" Hiroshi thought to himself, "Four hours ago, she agreed to join µ's. Now, she's distancing away from it just to be with Maki? Are they related in some way?"

"Whatever it is, Nico Yazawa, I'm never letting you near Maki anymore." Mr Nishikino crossed his arms, "I trusted you once, and you disappointed me. Go home and cry to your mommy, you little bitch. You good-for-nothing useless motherfucker. Get out of my sight now."

Nico went on her knees and held his left leg, begging, "Please give me one more chance, Nishikino-san. I promise I'll give Maki an enjoyable life. I love her so much, I can't bear to leave her! I want to be with her!"

"Then you shouldn't have placed her through so much pain and torture! Now get the fuck off me!" He then kicked her aside. She groaned in pain and started crying. Hiroshi ran to her and helped her up.

"You got the guts to kick a woman." Hiroshi scolded Mr Nishikino, "What kind of gentleman are you?"

"Hiroshi-san..." Nico looked at him with teary eyes.

"Who the hell are you?" Mr Nishikino questioned, "Why are you here? To save this pitiful woman? You can tell her to fuck off and get out of here before I call in security." The rest of the µ's girls then came out of nowhere and ran to Hiroshi.

"Hiroshi-chan, don't do this again." Nozomi huffed as she tried to catch her breath, "Let's get out of here."

"Now what? You brought the jokers here to go against me?" Mr Nishikino asked, "Why are they even here? Are you a part of these assholes?"

"Ignore him and let's go, Hiroshi-san." Umi grabbed his hand, but he shook it off.

"That's right, I am related." Hiroshi replied, "I am the manager of µ's. You must be the director of this hospital."

"At least you know." Mr Nishikino sneered at him, "Now, I want you to take you and your ass, along with these bunch of clowns back to the circus, because you all belong there and not here. You all do not deserve to step into this hospital. I do not welcome you here."

"Dancing and singing are forms of exquisite arts." Hiroshi retorted, "You don't just call them idiotic. They put in the effort, hard work, and dedication in being idols. You think being a director gives you the right to insult others for what they want to do?"

"Yeah, because I'm filthy rich and I own this hospital." He snickered, "I worked hard to get where I am today. I am such a prestigious figure. Do you feel unhappy because I called dancing and singing idiotic? That's right. Idols are pretty fucking useless, to be honest. They only earn money when they're sexy and famous. Once a newer, prettier one has appeared, these once-known idols are pushed away and never to be heard again. They don't have a stable income, and all they do is sing and dance to ridiculous, cringeworthy songs! What about doctors? They save people. They are able to prevent people from dying. They are always needed in this society. Nobody needs a bunch of amateurs. Now, if you excuse me, I need to see how my daughter is doing. I have no time to entertain you incompetent suckers."

Hiroshi glared at him and was about to punch him when the girls held him back.

"Oh, you wanna punch me?" Mr Nishikino went near to Hiroshi's face, "Do it, you fucking pussy. Punch me with all your might."

"Don't listen to him, Hiroshi-san." Kotori told him, "Let's go. We can't do anything to him, or we'll be sued by him." 

"I'm glad you girls know what happens if he were to lay a finger on me. Get out in five minutes, or I'll call security." The hospital's director then turned around and chuckled as he walked away.

Outside the hospital, Hiroshi sat down on the stairs, feeling mad. Umi went up to him, "Do you know what trouble you could have caused us if you whacked him? We'll be in deep shit! If Nozomi-chan hadn't guess where Nico was going, we would've gotten a lawsuit!"

"That son of a bitch just insulted us badly." Hiroshi growled back, "You think I can take that?"

"You shouldn't agitate the director, Hiroshi." Eli said, "He's known for being very uncouth. He sees us as enemies. There's no point fighting back since he's so insistent."

"I know you want µ's to be reformed, Hiroshi-san." Kotori patted his shoulder, "I know you do. But we got to think of a more logical way to bring Maki-chan over. We can't just use physical force. That ain't going to work."

"Well, now Maki's working as a doctor, and her father watches over her like a dog." Hiroshi said, "How are we exactly going to get in?"

The girls just kept quiet. Hiroshi then stood up, "Let's have our lunch first. We'll talk about this later. Three of you can come and sit in my car." He then went off to the carpark. Kotori, Nozomi, and Eli followed.

During dinner time, Maki sat down with her father in a restaurant. He is eating steak while she is eating a plate of bolognese spaghetti. 

"Your bunch of friends came looking for you today." Mr Nishikino uttered, "That darned Nico Yazawa included."

"I can't stop them from coming." Maki replied, "Did they state any reason they're here for?"

"That stupid short bitch wanted you back, and regretted all the shit she has done." He scoffed, "I will never let her get back with you. She's such a bad influence to you. Getting into your head with stupid stuff."

"Even if you don't like her, can you not call her a bitch, Daddy?" Maki asked, "It's rude of you to call her that."

"She deserved it. She made you fail so miserably. You got where you are today because of me. I picked up the pieces for you and groomed you to be the best doctor. When I retire in six months, I'll appoint you as director. You'll own the hospital, and then everyone will look up to you. I have faith that you'll run the hospital just fine." Maki just kept quiet and nodded her head in response as she ate her dinner.

Umi is in her room, lying against the bed and having a call with Yosuke. She told him about what had happened this afternoon, and how the actions of Hiroshi had almost got them into trouble. 

"I heard about it from Hiroshi. Umi-chan, I know you're a bit pissed at Hiroshi." Yosuke replied, "But Hiroshi also did it because someone insulted you girls. If it was me, I would have done the same thing too. No one likes hearing such offensive words."

"But Nishikino-san's such a big figure." Umi whined, "It's not like we can do anything. If we were to touch him in the slightest, we will all die."

"You can say that, but it's the first time Hiroshi met the guy, right? He didn't know anything about the director, so have a bigger heart and forgive him. He doesn't tell you, but I can see that he actually cares a lot about µ's. He did it for you guys, so don't get mad. I'm in the process of coming up with a way to get Maki-chan. And Umi, could you tell me more about Maki-chan?"

**\-----**

At midnight, Hiroshi woke up, startled. He had dreamed of it once more. He would usually grumble about it, but he's used to it. At least he had some sleep hours. Not so long, but still acceptable.

However, what he couldn't get used to is the moaning sounds next door. Recently, his neighbors are making so many moaning sounds, especially during the late night, when everyone's sleeping. Hiroshi can't stand it anymore. He already has one problem on his plate. He doesn't want to have another.

He groaned and stormed to their house. He then knocked on the gate and pressed the doorbell rapidly. Akiyoshi, who is naked except for a towel wrapped around his body, opened the gate and went to him.

"What do you want, mister?" Akiyoshi groaned, "You ruined our good moment big time. Do you know you're disturbing us?"

"Oh yeah?" Hiroshi raised his eyebrows in annoyance, "You guys are moaning so loud I could hear it from my room. You're the one disturbing me and my sleep. Do you want the whole world to know that you're having sexual intercourse in your room? Because I don't want to know."

"What happens if I want to do so?" Akiyoshi talked back, "I want to let everyone know I have a girlfriend. I'm unlike you, you lonely ass. Nobody wants to sleep with you because you complain 24/7 about sex." At that moment, a woman with a towel covering her body came out and hugged him from the back, "Who's making all this commotion? Can we go back to doing what we're supposed to do?"

Hiroshi had it. He took out his phone and filmed the couple, "I'm going to file a complaint against you and make sure you get fined! That'll make you stop moaning like a fucking dead man!"

"As if!" Akiyoshi screamed, "Go ahead and film me, you psycho! Me and my girlfriend love each other so much we will never stop having sex! Instead, we'll moan even louder so that you can't sleep!"

"Suit yourself, dickhead. Don't blame me for not warning you." Hiroshi then stopped filming and went back to his house. 

The next morning, after training, the µ's girls, Yosuke, and Hiroshi gathered at the Kanada Shrine. Yosuke stood at the top of the stars and looked at everyone.

"After lots of thoughts, I think I have an idea on how to get Maki." He told them, "You guys are banned from the hospital, including Hiroshi, so none of you can go in. I can go into the hospital, but I doubt I will be able to find Maki-chan. I don't know where her office is, I don't know her personally, and she will be really busy and has no time for small talk. One way for me to get to Maki-chan is for me to get injured so that I can get treated by her. And it starts here." He pointed to the stairs. Everyone looked at him with shock and surprise.

"You're crazy, Yosuke." Hiroshi said, "Have you even thought of what you're about to do? It's very dangerous. We can find other ways to do so."

"That's right, Yosuke-san." Hanayo added on, "I don't think that's a very good idea."

"It's okay. I want to contribute." Yosuke responded, "All this time, I've said many times I wanted µ's to reform, but I did nothing to help. I'm sure about this. Let me help this time. C'mon, Hiroshi. Push me down the stairs lightly."

"What the hell? I won't do that!"

"Just do it! We won't get anywhere if we don't make a move now! Do you want to get Maki-chan or not?"

Hiroshi breathed in and out before shoving his best friend with force down the stairs. The rest watched in horror as he groaned in agony loudly, his body rolling down the flight of stairs. Eventually, he landed on the floor on his back with a loud thud, whining in pain. The girls and Hiroshi rushed down to him.

"Hiroshi, I told you to push me lightly." Yosuke said weakly, "Why did you push me so hard? Do you really want me to be a vegetable for life? I can't even move my arms or my legs now! And my body is in immense pain!"

"I'm so sorry, Yosuke!" Hiroshi went into his pockets and tried searching for his phone, but then realized he left it at home. He cursed under his breath as Yosuke told Umi to call Nishikino General Hospital. She nodded her head and dialed their number. A few minutes later, he is being taken in an ambulance, and the rest watch in silence.

"I hope he's going to be okay." Rin said, "I hope nothing happens to him, nya~"

"I'm already quite worried for him." Umi said in an anxious voice, "He's so old, and his body's quite fragile. Will he really be okay?"

"He will." Nozomi took out a tarot card, "My cards say so." 

A few minutes later, Hiroshi is about to go to the police station to report Akiyoshi for making loud noises during the night. As he touched his pockets, he felt that it was empty. He dug into them and realized he left it at home. He remembered searching his pockets for it earlier when he was trying to call an ambulance for Yosuke. He scratched his head in frustration.

”How can I forget to bring my phone? Out of all days, it has to be the day when I want to call for an ambulance AND report someone? This is bullshit. Ugh, I feel so stupid…” His thoughts are interrupted when Honoka skipped towards him and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hiroshi-san, can you bring me to Akiyoshi-san's workplace?" She asked, "I want to give him the log cake that I made this morning, with some help from Kotori-chan. I know he's stressed over work, and my log cake is one of his favorites, so I want to give this to him to encourage him to continue on."

"Aww, you're so sweet to your boyfriend." Hiroshi smiled, "Alright, I'll send you there. But, can I go back to my home first? I want to pick my phone up because I left it at home." Honoka agreed with it. On the way there, he talked about the neighbors who are disturbing him in his sleep and how he wanted to report them. He also told her that he took a video of them. 

Once they reached his house, he went to his room and found his phone on the bed. Honoka asked if she could see the video as she was interested. Hiroshi responded with an 'okay' and passed his phone to her. Upon looking at the video, Honoka gave a distraught look.

Hiroshi looked at her, "Are you okay, Honoka?"

She looked at him, "Are you sure this was taken last night?"

"Of course! They were having so much fun during sex that they had to moan out loud! Don't they know people are having their beauty sleep? Nobody needs to know how intense their intercourse is! They're going to be the death of me! I'm going to report them later. Let them suffer the wrath of making me angry. C'mon, let's bring you to your boyfriend."

"Can I visit the neighbor now? I know him, and I want to talk to him."

"Uhh...sure." Hiroshi then led her to the house beside his. Honoka clicked the doorbell continuously until Akiyoshi, who is in a bathrobe, opened the gate. He is taken aback to see his girlfriend outside.

"H...Honoka, what are you doing here?" He asked nervously. 

"Working in the office now, huh?" She then pushed him aside and went into the house. Akiyoshi chased after her while Hiroshi waited outside. She stormed up the staircase and went into his room, where she saw a naked woman looking at the wardrobe for clothes to wear.

"What should I choose, dear..." The woman stopped talking as soon as she turned and saw Honoka. Honoka couldn't believe what she was seeing in front of her right now. In the video Hiroshi showed to her, Akiyoshi and the woman were hugging so tightly and admitted to having sex together. Now, both of them are naked. She can't accept that her own boyfriend is sleeping with another woman.

She turned to her back, only for her to see Akiyoshi standing at the door, looking guilty. He went forward to her, "Look, Honoka, I can explain..."

Honoka, with teary eyes, slapped Akiyoshi on the cheek.


	15. Betrayal and Despair

Yosuke sat up on the bed in his hospital ward. His arms and legs aren't in pain anymore. Only his back is a little pain, but he can endure it. He couldn't believe his eyes. He is in the Nishikino General Hospital, one of the most renowned hospitals in the world. It is owned by one of the most prestigious, richest, and biggest public figures, Miyazaki Nishikino. He is known for being a generous and benevolent man, constantly donating large sums of money to charities and people in need. 

This hospital houses a team of professional doctors. However, Yosuke is only looking for one of them. The one and only Maki Nishikino. As he was thinking about it, she and Mr Nishikino walked into the ward.

"Mr Yosuke Lee, the report stated you've suffered only minor injuries, and that you're fine." Mr Nishikino said, "Dr Maki has applied some medication on you, and all you need to do is rest. We'll assign a doctor to keep you under observation for two days so that your injuries don't act up again."

"Mr Nishikino, don't mind me, but do you mind letting Dr Maki observe me instead of any other doctor?" Yosuke asked, "I heard that she's a really professional doctor here. She would know what to do if any of my injuries act up again."

"Mr Lee, Dr Maki is a very busy person. She has to attend to other patients too. You're not the only patient in this hospital."

"But from what many of my friends have said, she's really skilled in taking care of people and healing them up." Yosuke said, "They have all come here before due to personal reasons, and thanks to her, they have recovered. They also praised you in front of me. You remember Mrs Takahashi? She said you are so remarkable!"

"They flatter me a lot, Mr Lee." Maki's cheeks blushed, "I'm not that great. I'm just a normal doctor, trying my best to help my patients."

"Please, Dr Nishikino." Yosuke requested, "Just this once, I hope for Dr Maki to take care of me during my stay in the hospital. I just want to know how it feels like under her care. I can even pay for her service if you want me to."

The director shook his head and walked out of the ward. Maki sighed and stepped forward to him.

"We don't accept money for personal services, Mr Lee." Maki smiled, "But I guess I can help you since you see me as an excellent doctor. I will feel bad if I don't do so, since all your friends said good things about me to you. It will still be another doctor looking after you, but I'll come from time to time to check on you. I will give you my phone number too. In case you are feeling unwell, you can send me a text or call me. Is that alright for you?"

"Sure." Yosuke smiled, "Thanks, Dr Maki. By the way, where is my phone? I can't seem to find it here."

Maki took his phone out from her pocket and passed it to him. He thanked her and switched it on. He got a shock upon seeing thirty missed calls and seventeen text messages from his mother.

As Maki left the ward to see another patient, he gulped in fear and dialed his mother's number.

"YOSUKE LEE!" It is his mother’s voice from the other side of the line, "Where the hell on Earth are you? I called and messaged you so many times, but you didn't pick up my calls or reply to my texts. I even went to your favorite bakery, and you're not there. Are you still at the office?"

"Y..y...yea, of course, Mum." He stuttered, "I'm b...busy right now. I'll call you back later."

"Alright, are you coming back for dinner tonight? I'm cooking steamed fish tonight."

"Oh shit!" He cursed silently as he placed his phone on the bed, screen facing down, "If I continue to lie to my mother that I'm in the office and I'm not coming back for dinner for a whole week, she'll murder me."

He then sighed and picked his phone up before putting it to his ear, "Mum, I got something to tell you. Don't get mad, don't get angry."

**\--µ’s--**

Honoka turned around to see him standing at the door, looking guilty. He stepped forward to her, "Look, Honoka, I can explain..."

Honoka, with teary eyes, slapped Akiyoshi on the cheek.

"How could you do this to me?" She cried, "How could you lie to me, saying that you have work when you're sleeping with another woman!?"

"Honoka, I'm going to explain..." He held her hands, but she shook it off.

"What explanation can you give?" She wept, "You had sex with another woman when I'm your damn girlfriend! How do you think I feel?!"

"Um, Akiyoshi's girlfriend, or should I say, his ex," The woman went to her, "He never loved you from the start. You're a broke girl, works in a lousy sweet store, and always cling onto him like a magnet. He hates it, and constantly complains to me about it. I am the true girl he deserves. Not only am I rich, I can provide him moral support AND expensive gifts. For the past three Valentine Days, you gave him a notebook, a loaf of bread, and a cheap laptop. I gave him a 64 inch TV, an Aston Martin V12, and even a diamond ring. You've given him nothing but shit. He's glad he cheated on your poor ass. If not for your looks, he would've dumped you a long time ago. Poverty women like you should stick to poor men who sleep on the streets."

Honoka looked at Akiyoshi and sobbed, "All along, I have loved you with all my heart. When people had their doubts about us, especially my parents, I would always defend you, saying that you're the best boyfriend I ever had. When you had a bad day, I would try my best to cheer you up. When you wanted to eat your favorite log cake, I'd whip it up for you. I did so many things for you, all because I love you. I thought you loved me too. Turns out that you don't love me at all. You only love pretty and rich girls. You lied to me, and took me for a fool. You want a break-up? I'll give it to you!" She slammed the log cake on the floor and slapped him once more. 

"We are done, Akiyoshi Yamazaki!" She then pushed him away and ran out of the room, crying. He turned to look at the woman, who is smiling with glee.

"Janice, I told you I will do the talking." Akiyoshi sighed, "Why did you blurt everything out? You clearly know she wouldn't be able to handle it."

"It isn't wrong to tell her how you truly feel about her." She replied, "You don't like her at all, and that's a fact."

"I could've put it in a nicer way." He scratched his head in frustration and sat down on the bed. She sat beside him.

"Nonetheless, you don't have a burden to hold anymore." She grinned at him, "It's a load off your chest. Give it a rest."

* * *

Outside his house, Hiroshi is still waiting outside for Honoka to come out. He wondered what took her so long. He is also confused on why Honoka seemed so upset when she saw the video.

He then saw her running out of the house in tears. He walked to her, "Honoka, are you okay? What happened in the house? Why did I hear you scream from outside?"

"Can you leave me alone for now, Hiroshi-san?" She cleared her tears, "I just need some peace by myself. You can go ahead and do your things." She then ran off. He stared at her with confusion. He didn't know what just happened, but he decided to let her be for the time being.

Honoka sprinted to a nearby park and sat down on a bench. Her tears are flowing down from her eyes nonstop. She felt so betrayed. To see her own boyfriend having sex with another woman was an ungodly and devastating sight for her. She took out her phone and looked at the pictures she had taken with Akiyoshi throughout the relationship. The more she looked through, the more sad she got. She switched her phone off and wailed loudly.

In Nico's house, she and Hiroshi sat on a chair each. She served him a cup of water and he gulped it down within seconds.

"Are you that thirsty?" She asked. 

"You bet. I stood outside a house for like twenty minutes, waiting for Honoka to finish her business. When she came out, she looked so downhearted and had tears in her eyes. She then told me to leave her alone before running away. I don't know what's going on with her."

"Twenty minutes and you're already whining like a baby." Nico laughed, "I wonder what would happen if it's two hours." 

He could only let out a smirk as he heard that remark.

"Oh yeah, why did you come to my house out of the blue?" She questioned, "I don't remember inviting you for lunch."

"You remember yesterday?" He stood up, "The truth is I followed you all the way to the hospital. I saw you get into a taxi, and so I followed you. I was watching you beg Mr Nishikino for you to get back with Maki. Were you and Maki together before?"

Nico kept quiet for a while. She immediately stopped smiling and looked away. She then faced him and sighed, "Yes. Maki is my ex-girlfriend. We got separated thanks to her strict and unforgiving father. I wanted to get back with her, and I thought it would be a good time to try yesterday. Turns out I was wrong. But, there's always a cloud of silver lining. One day, my sincerity will move him."

"Nico, he's so stubborn. He won't waver at all." He told her, "We have to use other methods, although I don't have one now. We can try to brainstorm one now."

As he stretched his arms and legs, he saw the time on Nico's house clock. It stated two thirty in the afternoon. He is a bit worried for Honoka, so he dialed her number and called her. No one answered the call. He tried calling again, to no avail. 

"Who are you calling?" Nico queried.

"Honoka. It has been two hours since she ran away. I want to check up on her to see if she's okay, but now I can't seem to reach her. I'm getting a little worried. Perhaps I shouldn't have really left her alone."

"Let me try too." Nico whipped her phone out and called Honoka too, but the call didn't get through. Hiroshi then called Kotori and asked her if Honoka had messaged or called her. She replied with a no. He cursed under his breath.

**\-----**

A few minutes later, the girls and Hiroshi formed three separate search teams. Umi, Kotori, and Hiroshi went to the park near his house to find Honoka. Rin, Hanayo, and Nico walked to a shopping centre nearby to search for her. Rin took the first and second level, Hanayo took the third and fourth level, and Nico took the fifth level and rooftop. Eli and Nozomi went around the streets, asking people if they had seen Honoka.

During the search, Umi came across a bench. She saw a mobile phone on it. She picked it up and switched it on. Upon doing so, she realizes that this is indeed Honoka's phone. After a few minutes, they all gathered back at their meeting point in the park. Nobody knew anything about where Honoka could have gone to. The phone was the only thing found to prove Honoka was here before.

"This is all your fault." Umi glared at Hiroshi, "It took you two hours to call us, saying Honoka's missing! You should have told us right from the start! And showing a video of her boyfriend with another woman? Are you trying to break them up or something?"

"Break them up? I didn't even know that son of a bitch was Honoka's boyfriend!" He retorted, "He was making loud sex nosies I had to video him so that I can report him to the police! How the hell would I know that video would upset her? She was so interested to see it anyways."

"And you just let her see it?" She growled back, "What made you think it would be a good idea? Shouldn't that be kept to yourself?"

“You’re blaming me for something I don’t even know.” He angrily replied, clenching his fists, "If it's so god damn important, why didn't you tell me in the first place?"

Nico pushed the two of them away from each other while Hanayo and Nozomi tried to calm them down.

"Umi, Hiroshi, this is not the time to point fingers at anyone." Eli said, "Right now, our main priority is to find Honoka and get her back safely. Blaming anyone isn't going to do us any good. We should continue to try and find her."

"That's right, Umi-chan and Hiroshi-san." Kotori added on, "We can't waste time finding fault in people."

"Listen up." Umi growled at Hiroshi, "I don't give a shit if you're the manager of µ's or not. If something ever happens to Honoka, I will never forgive you!" She then stormed off.

"I have never seen Umi-chan being so aggressive before, nya~." Rin commented

"Of course." Kotori sighed, "She might not look like it, but she cares deeply for Honoka-chan. Hiroshi-san, I hope you don't take her words to heart. She's really worried about Honoka-chan, and..."

"I understand." Hiroshi cut Kotori off, "Let's just continue searching around."

In the hospital, Yosuke texted his mother that he'll be fine, and that she can visit him the next day. She replied with an 'alright' and sent a smiley emoji to him. 

Maki entered his ward and went to him, "Mr Lee, how are you feeling now?"

"I'm quite alright now, thanks for asking." He responded, "I'm glad you could come and help me." He then saw a scratch mark on her arm. 

"Dr Maki, did you get that recently?" He pointed at it, "It seems pretty serious."

"Oh, umm...I just got it yesterday, when I tripped over something." Maki answered, "I was too tired from work that I didn't realize where I was walking. I've applied medication on it, so now it's okay."

"Ah, I'm glad you're fine now." Yosuke looked at her, "Actually, I injured myself intentionally. I instructed Umi-chan to call this hospital to bring me here, and I told Dr Nishikino that I wanted you to observe me. I did all of that for a reason."

Maki looked at him with surprise, "Umi-chan? You know her? And also, you said you injured yourself on purpose, and then wanted me to observe you. What in the world are you thinking?"

"I'm here because I want you to join µ's." Upon hearing that, she looked away from him.

"You must have heard that your friends came here yesterday." He continued, "That's not the main point though. Look, Maki-chan, I know you're a doctor now, and your father's bent on making you a director. But I know you aren't really interested in being a doctor at all. Me and my friend are reforming µ's, and we have gotten every member except you."

"Well, I'm sorry that µ's has to go on with eight members." Maki responded, "I will not join you. I’ve got my own things to do now."

"I really hope you can consider it." Yosuke pleaded, "I love µ's a lot. I'm a big fan. I love the way you girls used to sing and dance. I really like your songs too, and I would absolutely love to see the whole group get back together."

"Since you're okay now, I shall leave." Maki went straight for the door and left the ward. Yosuke sighed and lied on the bed. The feeling of despair and failure hit him real hard. He really sucked with words. Now he knows how Hiroshi feels when he fails to convince someone. Maki stood outside the ward, leaning against the door. She shook her head and walked away from the ward. 

Youske's phone then rang. He picked his phone up and answered the call, "Umi-chan! How's things going along?"

"Your dear friend made Honoka sad, and now she's missing." Umi grumbled. He immediately got up from the bed, "You say what? Honoka-chan's missing? How could this happen?"

"Hiroshi-san showed a video of his neighbors making some nuisance, and showed it to Honoka. The neighbors are Honoka's boyfriend and his mistress. Honoka got really depressed and ran away. And he only told us about it two hours later! I can't believe he is this stupid! He does things that are so obnoxious."

"Umi-chan, you honestly shouldn't blame Hiroshi for everything." Yosuke reasoned, "He didn't know that Dr Nishikino can sue you girls, or that the man in the video is Honoka's boyfriend. Nobody told him that, and he has to find it out by himself. You girls didn't tell me or Hiroshi anything about those two issues. You can't expect him to know everything. He's your manager, not your personal helper."

"But..."

"I'm very sure Hiroshi didn't do it to make anyone angry. He didn't mean it. He's a really good man. If he had known of this earlier, he wouldn't have done what he did. I do admit though that he's in the wrong to tell you hours later. I do hope you can understand him better by talking to him, and not judge him because of recent incidents. Okay?"

"Okay." Umi sighed.

"Keep me updated on any news of Honoka-chan." He said to her, "And don't stress yourself out so much just to find her. You need to rest, after all."

"You too, Yosuke-chan. Alright, I'm going to continue my search for Honoka. I'll talk to you later." She then ended the call. He lied on his bed and lamented the fact that he couldn't help the girls at all, now that he's in the hospital.

In the evening, the girls and Hiroshi took a rest in the park, lying on the grass patch or sitting on a bench. Even after hours of searching, none of them could find Honoka. Just like that, an afternoon was gone. Umi is still very worried about her. Kotori noticed it and sat beside Umi.

“She will be found, Umi-chan.” Kotori assured her, “She will be safe and sound. She will be alright.” With that, Kotori hugged her best friend. Umi hugged her back and sighed. She really hoped she could find Honoka very soon.

Eli suggested leaving a number and a picture of Honoka in their social media, so that the public could help them find her too. After all, they wouldn’t be able to comb through Tokyo to search for Honoka. Umi agreed on the idea.

At night, she went to the nightclub after getting a call from a random number, saying he had found her. Once she reached there, she went into the nightclub and saw Honoka drinking tequila. Umi is shocked to see lots of shot cups beside Honoka.

Umi ran to her and shook her body, "Honoka, wake up. It's time to go home." A man wearing a suit and tie then went to the two of them.

"You're the woman I spoke to on the phone?" He asked Umi. She nodded in response, "I'm sorry she vomited on your blazer. I'm really sorry about it."

"Just my luck today." He complained, "Whatever it is, if she can't handle alcohol, then I suggest barring her from coming here. Now I wonder how I'm going to explain to my boss in the VIP room now."

"I'll pay for any damages." 

"No need. Just tell her to not come here again so that she does not make any more trouble for me." He then stormed off. Umi placed Honoka's hand around the former's shoulder and started walking her out.

When they went out of the nightclub, Honoka suddenly fell onto the sidewalk and started bawling her eyes out. It then started raining. Umi glared at her, "C'mon, Honoka. Stop fooling around! Do you know how worried we all are for you? We searched high and low for you! Your parents even called us to ask where you had gone! You'd better listen to me and come home with me now!"

"Why did you always have to scold me?" Honoka screamed in agony, "I'm just devastated that my boyfriend left me for another woman, and now I feel like a nobody! Why won't you leave me be? Why won't you let me drown in my sorrows?" With that, Honoka cried even louder. 

Umi felt guilty immediately. She sat beside her and hugged her friend, "I'm sorry, Honoka. I should understand your feelings and not scream at you." They stayed at that position as the rain poured heavily on them.


	16. Bottom Of My Heart

Hiroshi carried a drenched and asleep Honoka into her house. Yukiho and her parents rushed out and looked at her worriedly.

"Thank goodness she returned home safely." Her mother muttered before looking at Hiroshi, "I can't thank you enough, Hiroshi-chan. Thank you so much for bringing my daughter home in one piece. We were so worried sick for her. We actually thought something happened to her."

"She needs some emotional support." Hiroshi told them, "Her boyfriend cheated on her, and right now, she's feeling really shitty. The girls in µ's will cheer her up, but I do hope you guys could show some concern too. She really needs it during this period of time."

"Understood." Yukiho replied, "Where's Umi-chan, though? I thought she was the one who went to find my sister."

"I'm sending her home soon." Hiroshi responded, "She's in my car now. If there's nothing else, I'll see you guys soon." He then went back into his car and went off.

He drove to Umi's house and carried her into her room. He placed her down on his bed and let his body fall onto the floor. He is certainly exhausted from piggybacking her. She is indeed quite heavy, and he hasn't worked out in years ever since he became The Man.

He looked at her. She is equally as drenched as Honoka. When Umi and Honoka didn't return, he asked Kotori where they might be at. She told him that Umi was finding Honoka at a specific nightclub. He drove there, just to see Umi fainting in front of him when she tried to stand up. He rushed out and brought the two of them in the car one by one. He saw that Umi had cracked lips and shrivelled fingers, which meant she didn't drink enough water.

He looked around for a towel, which he managed to find on a chair in her room. He dried her hair, hands, and legs with it before putting it back. He switched the fan on and blew it towards her.

He went to the kitchen and poured water into a glass. He took it to Umi and poured the water in her mouth. He then pushed her body up gently and tilting her throat upwards lightly, allowing the water to go down her throat naturally. He slowly laid her body on the bed and covered her body with her blanket. 

He dragged his feet to the living room and sat on the sofa. By now, he is already dead tired. He could go back home right now, but he has a few reasons he doesn't want to. If he were to drive now, he might get into an accident, considering that he might doze off while driving. Besides, he wouldn't be able to sleep at his own home. 

He lied on the sofa, closed his eyes, and slept. He took a few minutes adjusting himself to it, but once he was comfortable, he fell asleep immediately. This time, he didn't dream of any bad things. He slept so peacefully throughout the night.

The next morning, Umi woke up with the sun shining right at her face. She yawned and looked around. She is in her room, which surprised her. She remembered she was in the rain for hours, hugging a crying Honoka. She also recalled that when she tried to stand up, she fainted due to dehydration. 

She got out of bed and went to the living room, where she saw Hiroshi sleeping soundly on the sofa. She smiled at him, knowing that he took care of her last night. She is very thankful for it. She wore her jogging attire, and then went out of the house.

**\--µ’s--**

An hour later, Hiroshi got up and stretched his arms and legs. He's finally relieved he got a full night's sleep without any nightmares. His neck is in pain and his legs feel a bit sore, but he'd rather have that than to be reminded of the past in his dreams.

He went to the kitchen, took out a cup, and poured some water in it. As he was drinking in, Umi came back from her jog. She held a plastic bag and skipped to him, "Good morning, Hiroshi-san."

"Good morning, Umi." He greeted back, "You bought breakfast for me? You're too kind. How much is it?"

"Don't pay me, Hiroshi-san. I'll feel bad if you do." Umi grinned, "You took care of me and Honoka last night, after all. Come on, let's sit at the dining table and talk." He nodded his head and followed her to the living room. They sat at the table and she passed him two medium-sized red bean buns.

"Thank you for taking care of me last night, Hiroshi-san." Umi then sighed, "And I'm sorry for yesterday too. I know I was harsh to you. Saying those words are unacceptable..."

"It's okay, Umi." Hiroshi interrupted her, "I understand how you feel. Honoka's your best friend, and you would do anything for her. I should've kept the video and not show it to Honoka."

"It's not your fault." Umi fidgeted with her cup, "Neither me or Kotori told you or Yosuke-san anything about that bastard. Let me bring you out as an apology. I can introduce you to a cafe and I can bring you to a place or two. It'll be a break from your search."

"Oh, you don't need to do anything." He replied, "As long as you forgive me, I'm glad enough. I wouldn't want any of µ's to hate me."

"I insist, Hiroshi-chan." Umi pleaded, "I want to show that I'm sincere in my apologies. I'll pay for everything. Besides, I would love to get to know you better as a friend."

"Umi..."

"Please, Hiroshi-san. I'll not forgive you until you agree to it." 

Hiroshi looked at her with a surprised look, before giving in to her, "Alright. Since you want it so badly, I'll agree to it. I got two conditions though. One, we're paying our own shares. I don't want you to pay for everything, because we are going out together. Two, we'll only have it once I'm done reforming µ's. Deal or no deal?" Umi beamed with pleasure and nodded her head. Hiroshi smiled at her gleefully.

* * *

In the hospital, Yosuke is texting his mother the directions to his ward. She had decided to visit him and wanted to give him some tonic soup to drink. He initially rejected the idea, stating that it will be troublesome for her. However, she retorted that she'll have no problem doing so because she loves him. At that point, he couldn't bear to say no anymore. 

Maki then walked in and went to him, "How are you feeling today, Mr Lee?"

"I'm okay today, thanks for asking. Maki-chan, I hope you can reconsider..."

"No." Maki just cut him off, "If you're asking me the same thing as yesterday, my answer is no different. I'm not joining µ's. Please stop trying to talk to me about it."

"Maki-chan, please. We just need you as the last member of µ's. I know you like being an idol, singing and dancing in front of your fans. You said that in your interviews, didn't you? Many fans of µ's wanted you girls to reform, including me!"

"Look, Mr Lee." Maki said, "I came here to check up on you, not to join anything. My future is in medicine, not idols. You see, Mr Lee, in this world, you can't just do whatever thing you want just because you want to do it. You have to do something that will benefit you in your life. Something that will make you have a stable income. This world is a harsh reality, and we all have to step up and face it."

"You're exactly like Nico-chan." Yosuke commented, "Is it so hard for both of you to admit you still want to be an idol? Why are you girls acting like your dreams can't save you in one bit? You haven't even tried it, and yet you are already raising the white flag. Just because you're a doctor, that doesn't mean your life is complete. You're being forced to do this damn doctor job. Damn tsunderes." As soon as he said the last sentence, he immediately regretted it. He looked up and saw a triggered Maki with her fists clenched. She stormed to him and glared at him.

"Don't act like you know me." She growled, "You don't. You're just an outsider who thinks you know everything because you are a fan." Yosuke gulped in fear.

She then cooled down and stepped away from him, "I have my doctor duties to do. I'll be going off first. Have a good rest." She straightened her coat and walked out of the ward. Yosuke sighed. He still hasn't figured out a way to convince Maki at all. 

He then received a call from Hiroshi. He answered it, "Hey, Hiroshi."

"How's life in the hospital? Is it great?" Hiroshi teased him. 

"It's okay, I guess, but it would be awesome if Maki-chan just agrees to join µ's. No matter how I try to talk to her, she just doesn't give in. She's giving me Nico-chan vibes."

Hiroshi laughed as Yosuke turned annoyed, "I mean, for real. I don't get it why Maki-chan just doesn't want to admit that she wants to be an idol. Every girl in µ's enjoys being an idol, and it's stated in every interview they did before, so why..."

"Relax, Yosuke." Hiroshi replied, "Maki-chan is considered easy to get. You just need to bring the correct person to make her come to her senses and admit it."

"Who might it be? Would it be The Man himself?"

"Ha ha, I don't need to come. I'm not the one who's closest to her. I'll fill in the details later. Right now, I'm about to go out with Umi to Honoka's house to check up on her. I'm driving soon, so I'mma hang up. Talk to you later." He then ended the call.

At that moment, a woman in her seventies came into the ward, carrying a small container of soup. Yosuke is so happy to see her, "Ma!"

"My dear son!" She went over to him and hugged him, "I was so worried about you I couldn't sleep yesterday night. Are you okay now? Are you feeling better?"

"Yes, Ma. Whenever you're around, my pain goes away."

"So corny. Anyway, I brought you soup. Please drink it. It is good for your health and body."

"I will." Yosuke opened the container and drank the soup with a spoon. Though it tastes weird sometimes, he knows his mother cooks it with effort and her heart. Thus, he tries his best to finish it, even if it's not nice to drink.

**\-----**

In Honoka's house, Hiroshi and the girls of µ's are talking to her, trying to cheer her up by talking about idols. It did lighten the mood for a while, but Honoka went back to being quiet after a few minutes. Eli suggested that they go for a picnic at the park to relieve some stress off their chests. Everyone agreed, and pleaded Honoka to join. She agreed reluctantly.

She went into her room as her friends started to prepare food for the picnic. Eli decided to bake a chocolate cake with Kotori's and Umi's help while Nozomi went down to the supermarket with Hanayo, Rin, and Nico. She sat down on her bed and sighed. She stared at the sky, unsure of her feelings now. She then heard someone knocking on her room's door. She turned to the doorstep and saw Hiroshi. She allowed him to come in.

"You okay, Honoka?" He questioned, "You don't seem happy when your friends want to go on a picnic with you."

"I'm fine, but I just need some rest." She replied, "The incident that happened yesterday is still etched in my mind. Anyways, are you not helping Umi-chan and the rest?"

"I can't cook at all." He laughed a little before turning serious, "Honoka, I just want to say I'm sorry. I know I caused your relationship to fall apart. If I hadn't shown you that video..."

"No, you helped me, Hiroshi-san." Honoka turned to face him, "You allowed me to see the type of person he is. You showed his true colors. I'm very grateful for the support and love you and the girls are showering me with. I really appreciate it."

"Take your time to recover from it." He smiled at her, "Next time, I hope you could confide in me. Share your woes with me. I'm your manager for a reason, you know. I should care about the well being of each and every one of the girls, including you."

Honoka suddenly teared up and hugged him, "The truth is, I'm still devastated. I loved my boyfriend with all my heart and he loves another woman all this time behind my back. How could my boyfriend of three years just dump me like that? What did I do wrong to receive such a payback?" She then cried uncontrollably. Hiroshi patted her head and ruffled her hair, "Cry it all out, Honoka. Don't keep it inside you."

Umi went to Honoka's room as she wanted to see how Honoka was doing, but she saw Hiroshi hugging her instead. She slowly backs away, and hides behind the wall. She felt something she had never felt in her life before.

A tinge of jealousy.

How? Why? When? She honestly didn't know why she felt this way. They're just friends. She shouldn’t be jealous over this at all. It’s not like she’s his girlfriend or something. She guessed that it was just her imagination, and that she thought too much. 

* * *

In the supermarket, Hanayo is searching for rice to buy while Nico and Rin went to find ingredients for the former's fried rice. Nozomi proceeded to the poultry section. 

Hanayo looked around and saw the last packet of rice on the top shelf. She groaned and tried to reach for it with her hands but couldn't as she is too short. She tiptoed and slowly raised her hands. As she was about to take the packet, she lost her balance. She fell to her left, only to be caught by Alan. She looked up at him.

"Are you okay, miss..." He seems a bit surprised by it too, "No way...I am seeing things, am I..."

Hanayo immediately stood up and bowed down, "T...thank you for catching me, mister."

"You must be Hanayo Koizumi-chan from µ's!" Alan exclaimed, "Oh my god! I'm such a big fan of µ's! I can't believe I actually met you here! You sing and dance really well, Hanayo-chan. Your solo song Nawatobi is really great to hear. I like the emotions and feelings you had placed in this song. It really gives me the feels."

"Oh, t...thank you." Hanayo blushed, "I did not expect that kind of compliment." Alan took the packet of rice and gave it to her, "I saw you're trying to take this. Here you go. And your wallet. It dropped when I caught you." He then handed her the wallet.

"Thank you so much." Hanayo said, "What do I call you?"

"Alan." He responded. 

"I will get going." Hanayo smiled at him, "It is nice meeting you, Alan-chan. I hope our paths can cross again. I do hope you'll continue to enjoy my music too! I'll see you soon." She then scurried away, carrying that heavy packet of rice. Alan smirked as he looked at Hanayo's identification card.

"We surely will meet again, Hanayo-chan." He thought. 

* * *

During the picnic, the girls and Hiroshi talked about their lives and even cracked some jokes. They talked about idols, and some even flew some kites too while the rest sat and watched as they ate the delicious food prepared. While Honoka still did not feel very happy, her mood did improve, and she did feel better. She is thankful to have her idol mates to support her.

Hiroshi is staring at the sky when Kotori went to him and sat beside him, "Thinking about something, Hiroshi-san?" He looked at her and shook his head, "Nothing, Kotori. Are you worried about me?"

"Kind of." She replied, "You know, you are always the quiet one to most of us, sitting at one side and thinking about something. You frequently look sad too. I know you might not want to reveal what you're sorrowful over, so I will respect your decision. However, if you need any help, or a listening ear, I'm here. After all, you helped µ's reform. You helped us achieve our dreams, so I do really want to help you, Hiroshi-san."

"Thanks for the concern, Kotori." He said, "I'm really fine. You don't have to worry about me." 

"You know, Hiroshi-san, it's not good to bottle up your feelings." Kotori looked at him worriedly, "I did it once, when I was trying to hide my unhappiness about going overseas to study fashion during high school. It certainly didn't feel good. It was horrible, and it made the people around me sad too. Once you let out your feelings, you'll feel way better. Trust me. Look at me. It made me a cheerful girl."

"Alright, Kotori. You win." He laughed a bit before sighing, "I'm just thinking about the past. I went through a big depressing event, and I'm constantly thinking about it. It makes me feel like dying." To his surprise, Kotori hugged him. 

"I know I can't help you much now, but I know a hug can cheer someone up." She smiled at him, "So I gave you a hug to make you feel better!" He looked at her face as his heart was beating rapidly. He smiled back at her, "Thank you, Kotori. You've indeed made me feel better now." 

"Yay!" She beamed with joy, "I hope you won't keep it all to yourself, Hiroshi-san. I hope you'd tell me or anyone in µ's about your problem. You helped us all, so it's time for us to help you." Hiroshi nodded his head and said his thanks before she went off to Umi and Honoka. 

"Not only is she cute and pretty, but she's caring and kind too." He thought to himself, "She's now my favorite girl in µ's."

* * *

At night, Hiroshi returned to his home. It was a long outing, but he had lots of fun. He went to take a shower and plopped right on his bed. He is dead tired, and hopes he could get at least a few hours of sleep. He knew the past was about to haunt him again. He had reported Akiyoshi to the police earlier about their nuisance, and he prayed they were going to be quiet from now onwards. 

He remembered what happened in the afternoon, and he is still happy about it up 'til now. Not many things can make him happy ever since that accident happened, though. The fact that he's happy over Kotori hugging him means...

He ignored it. He switched the lights off and slept. After what felt like a while, the nightmare appeared. He opened his eyes and got up immediately. He certainly remembered it again. He took a look at the clock and saw that it was two in the morning.

He rubbed his eyes and went to the rooms with instrumentals. He started playing 'Aishiteru Banzai' on piano while singing the lyrics softly. When he finished the song, he fell asleep right away.

Hiroshi looked at the car that knocked the man down in front of his house. Hiroshi slowly advanced towards the victim and the woman, who is frantically shaking his body.

"You can't die on me, please." The woman cried, "The ambulance is arriving soon. Hang in there, pretty please. Don't stop breathing. You still are so young, and we got so much to do."

As soon as Hiroshi stopped in front of the man, his hands trembled so much. He looked at the man, unsure of what he's supposed to feel at that moment.

That man...

...is

...

Hiroshi got up from the piano and looked around. It is daylight now. He is surely relieved to have slept throughout the night. He can't stop thinking about that accident though. Was it really an accident? 

In the hospital, Maki walked into Yosuke's ward, where he is preparing to pack up and leave. He turned towards her and bowed down, "I'm sorry for what I have said yesterday, Maki-chan. I know I have disrespected and offended you, and I know I'm in the wrong. Thus, I hope you can accept my apologies."

"I was at fault too." Maki said, "I was being rude too. I didn't consider my choices of words properly. I hope you had a nice stay in the hospital. You can pay your bills at the counter on the first floor. I'll see you next time."

"Wait, Maki-chan." Yosuke sighed, "Although I might be showing a lack of respect here, my motive is still the same. I hope you can join µ's."

"You never give up, don't you?" screamed Maki, who is furious at this point, "When will you ever stop asking me that? Is that all you could ask from a normal human like me?!"

"You're meant to be an idol, not a doctor!" Yosuke retorted, "You have a good voice. You can play the piano well. You can come up with touching lyrics. You like dancing and singing with µ's, especially Nico-chan. Remember when her idol group failed? You were there by her side, promising to be idols with her. You were unable to fulfill that wish because your parents had taken you away. Now when there's a chance, you're just going to throw that away?!"

Maki was taken aback by what he said. Nevertheless, she regained her composure, "Say no more. I'm done talking to you." She then opens the door and is surprised to find Nico outside the ward. They both stared at each other.

"If I can't convince you, then she will do the job." Yosuke crossed his arms.


	17. Reconciliation

Nico and Maki went to the toilet to avoid getting caught by the latter's father. They went into a cubicle and locked the door.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Maki asked, "You could've got kicked out by security if my father sees you! You got warned by him once, and you're going to do it again?"

"I don't care anymore!" Nico retorted, "Join µ's right now! You promised to be an idol with me! I took your word for it and believed you. Are you going back on it now?"

"Out of all people, you should know why I can't do that now!" Maki screamed at her, "My father's plans for me to take over the hospital has not changed one bit. If I don't do what the hell he says, I'll die!"

"Your father this, your father that." Nico grumbled, "Does your father form your damn life? What's so good about being a fucking doctor? It's not what you enjoy doing anyways! Your father separated us from each other just for his own selfish gains! He never considered you, or your feelings at all! Why are still doing it for him?"

"I can't just disobey my father like that, Nico-chan! Why..."

"I want you to be with me." Nico confessed, "I admit, Yosuke-san called me here to try and convince you to join µ's. But he didn’t need to do so. Because I'll still find you, and tell you the same thing I'm telling you now. Without you, my idol journey wouldn't have been as fun as it has been. I hope you could join µ's and be an idol with me. I really want to be with you. I love you, Maki-chan."

"W...what are you saying..."

"We never got the perfect ending we wanted." Nico continued, "And my love for you has not changed ever since that day. I was always hoping for that one day, when I'd meet you again. I decided to try my luck and come to the hospital, where I was not allowed to enter. Your father, as usual, kicked me out. Today's my first time seeing you in years, and my heart still beats for you rapidly. Hiroshi-san may have reformed µ's, but being an idol isn't the same without you. I felt loneliness in my heart. Without you, my world feels like it's going to fall apart. Now that I found you, I don't want to ever leave you again. I want to be with you."

Nico then held Maki's hands, "I shouldn't have given up on finding you when you were taken away from me. I shouldn't have been a useless girlfriend and left you alone just because your father was a jerk. I hope you can give me a chance, and we can start afresh. I promise to be a better girlfriend for you..."

Maki pulled Nico close and kissed her on the lips. Maki then pulled away and placed her hands on Nico's shoulder, "I love you too, Nico-chan. All these years, I miss you. I miss being by your side, feeling your warm hugs and kisses. Ever since we were separated, nobody is able to touch my heart like you did. I don't really feel like I'm fit to be a doctor, much less a director of the hospital. I really want to be an idol alongside you, but my father always restricts me to do so. He doesn't like me to mix with people who are idols. He says idols are useless and worthless."

"Ignore your father and his words. I'd rather you enjoy your life than to suffer throughout it. After all, I only want what's best for you. I really hope you'll join µ's with me, Honoka, and the others."

"Promise me you won't leave me this time, and that you'll be by my side forever."

"I promise. That means you'll join µ's?" Nico questioned. Maki nodded her head, "As long as it's with you." Upon hearing that, Nico hugged the redhead happily. Maki smiled and caressed her hair.

"I love you, Maki Nishikino." Nico muffled on her shirt. 

"I love you too, Nico Yazawa-chan." She replied back before planting a kiss on Nico's head. Nico then saw a scratch mark on Maki's arm. She wondered what it was.

**\--µ’s--**

In Honoka's house, Kotori made butter toast with sunny side up eggs. She told Umi and Honoka to come down to the living room to have their breakfast. They sat at the table and said 'itadakimasu' before eating.

"Did you have a good rest, Honoka-chan?" Kotori asked.

"Yeah, I did!" Honoka replied cheerfully, "Thank you for asking. And thanks for the outing yesterday. You guys are so thoughtful, and I'm grateful for it."

"Don't sweat it!" Umi patted her shoulder, "This is what friends are for. Me and Kotori are glad you're feeling better now. Remember to tell us next time if you're facing any problem. We will never hesitate to help you."

Honoka smiled at them while shedding tears of joy. She hugged Umi before doing the same to Kotori, "I love the two of you so much! I really wonder how my life would have turned out if I didn't meet you two!" Umi and Kotori smiled at their best friend. The three of them then got into a group hug.

Honoka's father walked up to her room and knocked on the door, "Honoka, some man is finding you. Go down and see what he needs."

"A man?" She stood up. It must be Akiyoshi, she thought. He has finally realized his mistake and came here to beg for her forgiveness. She has to decline him harshly and tell him off for leaving her for another girl. 

"What are you thinking, Honoka-chan?" Kotori asked, "Shouldn't you be down to go and see the man? Perhaps he's a suitor of yours."

"Don't talk rot, Kotori." Umi told her, "She just broke off recently. Don't rub salt into the wound. I'll follow Honoka down, just in case that bastard came here for forgiveness."

Honoka and Umi walked down the stairs and saw a man looking through the shelves of sweets. The former cleared her throat, "Akiyoshi Yamazaki, if you're here to apologize for cheating on me, you don't have to. I will never get back with you. You didn't treasure me well enough, and decided to go out with another woman. I'm disappointed in you, and I'll never get back with you. But first, apologize to me because you cheated on me. Let me feel good." 

"Apologize to you?" The man turned around and glared at Honoka, "You spoiled my damn blazer, for crying out loud. You are supposed to apologize to me and pay me." 

"Who's this guy, Umi-chan?" Honoka whispered to Umi. The latter just went to the man and bowed down, "I'm sorry, sir. Honoka didn't mean to vomit on your blazer that night. I apologize to you on her behalf."

"I don't need apologies. They don't cost anything, and they can't fix my damn blazer." He passed Umi his own name card, "Two and a half million yen. That's the cost of a new copy of the blazer. Go and buy it and send it to the address of the name card. It'd better be in a perfect condition. One scratch, and you'll buy another one."

"Nathan-san, right? You're being very unreasonable here." Umi retorted, "It wasn't even on purpose, and you're charging so high for it. Are all rich people like that? And didn't you reject my offer to pay for the damages that night?"

"This is life, miss." Nathan replied, "Even when you're faced with difficulties, you're expected to go on with life. It doesn't just stop because you got a big problem that needs to be solved or you're stressed. And besides, my blazer is now damaged.”

"But..." As Umi is about to reason, Honoka kindly told her to stop and turned to him, "I'm sorry, Nathan-san. I know that this is my fault. I promise to pay you for it, but right now, I don't have enough money. I can't buy the blazer immediately."

Nathan sighed and leaned against the wall. He snapped his fingers a few seconds later, "I got an idea. My company's having a ball, and they'll be having a lucky draw there. Since you're lucky to bump into a rich guy like me, you should be lucky to win the grand prize."

"What even..." Umi is speechless.

"If you win the grand prize of the lucky draw, I will let you keep fifty percent, and the rest is the cost for my blazer and my personal use.” Nathan continued, “What do you think? Great, isn’t it?"

Honoka thought for a while as Umi tried to convince her to not listen to him. After a full minute, Honoka cleared her throat and looked at Nathan, "Alright, I'll follow what you say." Umi looked at her with shock. Nathan nodded his head in satisfaction, "Cool. I’ll message you about it later. May I have your number?” She nodded her head and gave him her number. He then bowed and went out of the shop.

"Honoka, what are you thinking?" Umi sighed.

"Umi-chan, that's the best way out of this situation." Honoka replied, "If we were to pay the money by working..." She then suddenly thought of µ's. She pulled her hair and screamed, "Ahh! I should've thought of that! Why did I actually agree to it?!"

"You're always like that, Honoka." Umi shook her head, "Doing things without thinking properly. I can't help you out of this either. The only thing you can do is to follow that guy now."

Honoka whined and scratched her head in frustration, regretting her decision. She screwed it when she had the chance to reject. Now she has to suck it up and go to a party with a man she barely knew. 

* * *

During lunch time, Hanayo and Rin went to a food centre to buy lunch for them, Peter, and Rin's father. Hanayo decided to order fishball noodles for everyone. 

As she took out her wallet and opened it, she felt like something was missing. She decided to check the contents of her wallet. Money notes? Check. Credit card? Check. Identification card? Check...not? She screamed upon realizing that it is not with her.

"What happened, Kayo-chin?" Rin questioned worriedly. Hanayo told her about her missing IC. Rin nodded her head and asked her if she wanted to go to her home to find it. Rin also suggested searching around the places she had recently been to. Hanayo took her advice and both of them ran to Hanayo's home.

They looked in the rooms to see if there was any sign of the card. They checked under the bed, below the dining table, or in the drawers in Hanayo's room, but all to no avail.

"What should we do, nya~?" Rin asked. Hanayo just looked at her, "I'll go to the supermarket to see if I can find it there, because I last dropped my wallet there too. Rin-chan, you can go and buy lunch for you, your father, and Peter-san. I'll take care of mine." She then ran off to the mart.

Once she was there, she rushed to the rice section and searched frantically for it. Behind the shelves, below the rice packets, or on the floor. Her card could not be found. 

Hanayo huffed and took a rest while leaning against a wall. She couldn't believe that her identification card was missing all this time, and she didn't know about it until she had gone to buy lunch. She slapped herself softly on her cheeks, scolding herself on how careless she is. 

Just then, Alan saw Hanayo as he was shopping for groceries. He went to her, "Hanayo-chan, we meet again. What are you doing here? Buying more rice?"

"Hey, Alan-chan." She sighed, "I'm here to find my IC. It went missing. I couldn't find it anywhere in my house, so I came here because I remembered I dropped my wallet while taking the rice, and you caught me. Did you see anything fall out of it?"

"You mean this?" He took out her identification card, "Yeah, you dropped it. I was about to go to you when I found out, but you went off so quickly. I kept the card just in case we meet again, and we did."

"Oh my god! Thank you so much!" She hugged him joyfully, "I was searching high and low for this card and you had it with you! I'm thankful you're around." She then let go and looked at him, "C'mon, let me treat you to lunch."

"Nah, it's okay. What matters is that your card has been found."

"No, it's a must." Hanayo retorted, "You found something very important to me. I really want to thank you. Don't you want to eat with your idol, Alan-chan?" She gave a cheeky smile.

"True, I do want to." Alan replied, "Alright. I'll go with you." 

**\-----**

A few minutes later, Hanayo and Alan are dining in a Japanese restaurant. Hanayo ordered some curry katsu rice while Alan just ordered some sushi.

"Tell me more about yourself, Alan-chan." Hanayo spoke, "What do you work as?"

"I'm just a normal businessman in my father's company, and I hate it a lot." Alan responded, "My colleagues suck, the job is boring, and there's no pretty coworkers for me to talk to. Everyday, I’d see the same shit. I rather be doing something. I don't want to be taking over my father's business at all.”

"Well, you get to take over a business at least." Hanayo said, "But what do you truly wish to work as?"

Alan leaned on his chair, "I love idols a lot. Since young, I was fascinated by their dance moves and their voices. Their songs are beautifully crafted too. I plan to be a manager of an idol group. I'm pretty confident that I can manage and bring the group to stardom! I will allow the world to know that idols are blessings in disguise!"

"Ohh, I see. I didn't know you like idols so much. Are you a fan of µ's ever since we started?"

"Of course! Back when you first released the single Bokura No LIVE Kimi to no LIFE, I was jamming to it, and I still am today!" Alan talked with pride, "And Wonderful Rush too! That is a really awesome song! And I will never forget Oh, Love & Peace, your first center song! Your voice is so graceful I fell in love with it! So, I was hoping you'd join me. On an adventure to recreate µ's again."

Hanayo looked at him, "I'm sorry, Alan-chan, but we already have a manager." Alan raised his eye at her, "A manager, you say? What's he or she like?"

"He's not really the biggest fan of µ's, but he's serious in getting it back together." Hanayo explained, "He has a friend that is a really hardcore fan of us. In fact, he likes Umi-chan the most out of all of us. Together, those two help us reform µ's."

Alan is surprised by what she had just told him. It felt like he knew the two of them, but yet at the same time, he didn't know them. He looked at her and asked, "Do you mind if you bring me to see the manager? I think I might l recognize him from what you had said, and I would like to ask him for a few tips so that I can recruit other idol groups."

"Sure!" Hanayo answered. After lunch, she brought him to Honoka's house. The reason is that Hiroshi and Yosuke wanted to see how Honoka is doing now.

Upon entering the stall, Hanayo told Alan to wait in the bakery as she went to find Hiroshi. While he is waiting, he is thinking about something, and he's in deep thought.

"It can't be such a coincidence." He thought, "Or could it? I haven't seen them for quite long. Could it be that they..." His train of thoughts are interrupted by Hanayo, who walks to him. Eli and Nozomi followed her too.

"He and his friend are coming out soon." She said, "They're in the kitchen.”

"You must be Eli Ayase-chan and Nozomi Tojo-san." He shook their hands, "I am Alan Turner, and I'm a super big fan of µ's. It's a pleasure meeting you idols."

"It's a big pleasure meeting our fans too." Nozomi smiled, "After all, you are the people that drive us to make more music!"

"I'm glad you like our music." Eli added on, "I sincerely hope you continue to listen to it, and hope it might make your day."

"Surely, forever." Alan replied. Eli and Nozomi then went up to Honoka's room. Hiroshi walked out of the kitchen and waved at Hanayo. The moment he saw Alan, he stopped dead in his tracks and glared at him. Alan stared at Hiroshi and smiled, "Well, hello, Hiroshi."

Yosuke got out of the toilet and heard a familiar voice in the shop. He washed his hands and went out of the kitchen, only to see Alan.

Hiroshi marched towards Alan and pushed him out of the shop. Yosuke told Hanayo to go check on Honoka and the other two girls before running after Hiroshi. Honoka came down from her room to the shop to take some sweets when she saw Yosuke running out.

Honoka asked Hanayo if anything went down, and the latter told her everything. Honoka nodded and told Hanayo to wait in her room as she went and took a peek.

Hiroshi pushed Alan to a wall outside the shop and held him high up by the neck, "You motherfucker! You had the audacity to show yourself in front of us! Are you planning to scheme against Hanayo like what you did to me, you fucking cunt?"

"I came to see you, and this is the attitude you're giving me?" Alan laughed, "I'm confused, Hiroshi. To think you're the manager of µ's, and Yosuke is backing you up! That honestly surprised me."

"I don't know how you met Hanayo, but it's best if you stop." Hiroshi growled, "I won't be nice if you ever go near to her again."

"Yosuke," Alan looked at Yosuke, "My bro, long time no see. How are you?"

"Don't change the damn topic, you motherfucker." Hiroshi slammed Alan onto the floor, "You caused my brother's death, and you're still acting like nothing happened."

"Me? It wasn't me, douchebag." Alan straightened his suit, "I introduced Emily to Hisashi so that they could date. I'm trying to help a brother out. He's so concentrated in his music that he has no time to get a girlfriend. He needs some romance in his life. Besides, Emily doesn't deserve a scumbag like you. All you do is leech off your brother, claiming to be the kind soul. In reality, you just want to overtake him with the skills he passed down to you and become the next him! You caused his downfall, and his death too. You could've talked it out with him and Emily, and hear him explain, but nope. You stormed out in anger, and he had to follow you and try to cool you down. That's when he got run over by a car. You caused his death. It's your fault Hisashi died!"

Hiroshi clenched his fists and scowled, "I dare you to say that again, you fucking piece of shit!" Alan just laughed and spitted at him, "You caused Hisashi's death! You're a cold-blooded murderer! You're a fucking scumbag who doesn't know any good! You should go and fucking die, you worthless piece of shit!"

Hiroshi whacked Alan's face continuously until the latter's nose bled. Seeing as it got serious, Yosuke quickly pulled Hiroshi away.

"Here's a piece of advice, Alan." Yosuke sternly said, "Leave. And never come back."

Alan stood up and went to Hiroshi, "I will definitely steal µ's from you, and make sure you run out of business. Because I hate you, you little prick." He then walked away.

Hiroshi leaned his back against the wall and sighed as Yosuke patted his shoulder, "Don't listen to Alan. It isn't your fault he died. It is perfectly normal to be angry at Hisashi and storm off at that moment. Don't go too hard on yourself." 

Honoka is eavesdropping, hiding behind one of the candy shelves, hearing their conversation all this time. She is confused on what they were saying, and she is curious to find out more about it too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I posted this a bit too late. For that, I apologize.
> 
> On another note, I hope you are enjoying the story so far. Thank you for 800 hits, it really warms up my heart to find many of you reading this. Have a great day ahead.


	18. Closer Than Before

At two in the afternoon, the members of µ's, except Maki, are in Honoka's room, along with Hiroshi and Yosuke. 

"I have a big announcement to make!" Nico announced loudly once everyone settled down, "This is really, really, really big news, so I'd appreciate it if you listen to me."

"Maki-chan has decided to join us." Yosuke interrupted her, "That means that we have all the members of µ's right now, and it also means µ's has been successfully reformed!"

"Really, nya~?" Rin asked excitedly. 

The rest clapped their hands and cheered in joy while Nico retorted, "Hey, don't interrupt me when I'm talking! And where's my credit? I was the one who got the news from Maki-chan herself! I'm supposed to be saying that!"

"Nah, it doesn't matter who says it." Yosuke gave a cheeky smile, "And besides, about your relationship..."

Nico cleared her throat, "Anyways, Maki-chan will be joining us from today. She might be busy at times, but she said she'll try her best to make it to our activities! Now, let's get started with making our comeback single!"

"Before that," Yosuke looked at the girls, "I would like to address something. I hope, from now on, you girls can call me Yosuke-chan instead of Yosuke-san. I will feel relieved if you girls call me that as it is more casual. Same goes for Hiroshi. Am I right?" He then turned to Hiroshi, who is staring off into space. He seems to be distracted by something. 

"Is Hiroshi-san...I mean Hiroshi-chan...okay?" Hanayo asked worriedly.

"Hiroshi?" Yosuke went to Hiroshi and waved his hand in front of him. Hiroshi still didn't respond. Yosuke sighed and snapped his fingers. At that moment, Hiroshi shook his head and looked at Yosuke.

"I said, the girls should call us Yosuke-chan and Hiroshi-chan, am I right?" Yosuke repeated. Hiroshi nodded his head, "Since we've spent some time together, and we now know each other, I think we can cut the formalities off. Just call me Hiroshi-chan."

After a few minutes, outside the room, Yosuke pulled Hiroshi out to talk.

"You're thinking about Hisashi again?" Yosuke asked. Hiroshi just looked down and kept silent. Yosuke patted his shoulder and looked at him, "I know you're affected by what Alan had said earlier, but don't let it get to you, alright? Just...don't think about it for now."

"You think it's this easy, Yosuke?" Hiroshi snarled, "You think I wanted to be reminded of it? I wish I wouldn't be too. This is me. I can't just forget something easily. It stays in my mind like a permanent scar. I promise I won't show this side of me to the girls. I don't want to make them worried. I'll go and take a breather." He then walked off as Yosuke sighed.

In Honoka's room, she thought about the conversation she had heard earlier. This Alan man...he seems to be a fan of µ's, but he hates Hiroshi. She didn't really hear the conversation clearly, so she couldn't really make out what they were actually saying. What does Hiroshi hate Alan for?

"Honoka, what are you thinking about?" Umi asked curiously. Honoka looked at her and smiled sheepishly, "Nothing much. I'm happy that the nine of us are reunited."

"Me too." Umi responded, "It's been seven years since we went our own ways. We all always wanted to be idols again, but we were afraid of acting alone and bearing the consequences of failing alone. Now that we're together, I feel like we could overcome any obstacle that comes our way, and we could help each other become better idols. Our managers, Hiroshi-chan and Yosuke-chan, are also guiding us along the way. I'm really glad this turned out well."

"Now, to make sure Hiroshi-chan and Yosuke-chan did not waste their effort finding all of us," Kotori voiced out, "we should give it our all to sing and dance at our very best! We need to make them proud!"

The rest of the girls nodded their heads in agreement. 

**\--µ’s--**

In the kitchen, Nico dialed Maki's number and called her. 

"Hello, Nico-chan." Maki answered the call, "What's the matter? Did any of the girls ask for me?"

"Nope, they seemed happy when they heard you are joining us." Nico replied happily, "I still can't believe that µ's is back after such a long time. I'm glad that it happened. I just hope we don't face the same issue that happened years ago."

"It won't, Nico-chan. I'm very sure we will succeed." Maki said in an uplifting tone, "We should believe in ourselves. It'll just be like old times. Did you call me just to tell me this? If so, you could’ve just messaged me. I need to get back to my work after this, you know."

"Of course not! I just wanna ask you if you're free for dinner. I wanted to eat with you. I have not spent quality time with you for very long. Now that we're back together, I really wish to spend some time with you."

"But, Nico-chan, I'm not that free later." Maki responded, "The board of directors are having a meeting, and I'm required to attend it with my father. Let me try to find another day."

"But, Maki, you will not see me for a long time after this." Nico whined, "If you go for the meeting today, we cannot visit each other as your father would be around. You’re a doctor, so you'll be very busy. The only time I get to see you is during time with µ's, but I don't think you'll be able to join us a lot too. If you skip the meeting, you can spend the night with me. And I'll go home before the meeting ends. Please, Maki-chan. I really want to be with you. Pretty please?"

There is a brief period of silence before Maki sighed, "I'll try my best to skip the meeting. Only this once, or my father's going to suspect us. Meet me outside my house at seven."

"Hell yes!" Nico jumped in joy, "Then it's settled! I'll see you later, Maki-chan! I love you, Maki-chan!"

"I love you too, Nico-chan." Maki said before she ended the call. In the hospital, Maki went to her father's office. She knocked on the door and asked for permission to come in.

After the director nodded his head, Maki went to him, "Otou-san, I don't think I'll be attending the meeting tonight. I am not feeling very well. I think I've had the flu ever since I stepped into the office today." She then faked her sniffing from her nose. The good part about a doctor is that he or she will definitely see many patients with flu, and that they know what flu is like.

"You're usually very healthy, Maki." He went forward and touched her forehead with his palm, "How did you get it? Are you feeling okay now?"

"I'm feeling better now, but I still want to rest. If I were to go to the meeting later, I don't think I'll be able to concentrate. I'm also scared I might pass it to other doctors. May I go straight home after work?"

"Alright, Maki. Rest well." Her father smiled. Maki bowed down and thanked him before walking out of the office. He leaned on his chair and thought about something.

*break*

During dinner, Hanayo and Rin ate lunch in a food court with Alan. The girls bought fried rice while Alan bought a bowl of fishball noodles.

"This is the guy that found my identification card, Rin-chan." Hanayo introduced the man to her best friend, "This is Alan-chan. Alan-chan, I'm sure you know who this is."

"Of course, she's Rin Hoshizora, one third of lily white." He shook Rin's hand, "It's a pleasure meeting you in real life. You look very cute and pretty."

"Thank you!" Rin smiled, "You flatter me. I am very happy that you support us and like our music. I'm pretty excited to meet a fan like you. I heard your favorite idol is Kayo-chin?"

Alan nodded his head, "I like her voice so much. It just soothes me all the time when I listen to it."

"By the way, Alan-chan, what's your purpose of meeting us today?" Hanayo questioned curiously. Alan straightened his suit before clearing his throat, "I don't think you are making the right decision. Being under Hiroshi isn't exactly a good thing." Hanayo and Rin looked at each other before looking at him with confusion. 

"He's not a good person." Alan lied, "I can't tell you what he did. It might scare you off."

"Do you have problems with Hiroshi-chan, Alan-chan?" She queried, "You two had a fight outside this afternoon, didn't you?"

"That's right, but he's the asshole." Alan then went near to them and whispered, "He once scammed a singer of her money. He managed and promoted her songs and tours. She trusted him, only for her to get scammed. Eight million yen in total. She didn't report it as she was scared that he'd do something to her. Don't judge a book by his cover. He might act nice, but he might have an ulterior motive."

"Ulterior motive? I don't think he's the guy to do that kind of scamming stuff." Hanayo reasoned, "Besides, you don't like him, so maybe you're just assuming it's him. And maybe the guy's not him..."

"The victim is my friend, and she personally told me she got scammed by Hiroshi Oshiro." Alan said, "You girls better be careful. He might do the same to you one day." Hanayo is confused while Rin seems to be thinking.

* * *

After work, Maki left her office and got into her car. She drove to her house, where she saw Nico sitting outside the gate. Maki opened the gate and told her to go into the house while she parked her car.

After Maki is done parking her car, she proceeds to go into the house and search for Nico. She walked into the living room and saw Nico sitting on the sofa, waiting for her.

Nico stood up and smiled at Maki, "I'm glad you agreed to spend time with me today, Maki-chan. I really, really love you!" As she is about to hug Maki, the latter pushes her away.

"I need to take a bath first." Maki replied, "You can wait down here. I'll be done in about fifteen minutes." She then went up to her room and closed the door. Nico went into the kitchen and looked around.

* * *

Eli and Nozomi went out together for shopping before their dinner. Eli wanted to buy the new dress that recently came out. She eyed on it for months before its release, and pulled Nozomi along with her to the shopping mall immediately when the store announced the sale on their social media five minutes ago.

Once they reached the store, they realized the store was quite empty, which meant that they were early. Eli rushed to the 'New Clothes' section and finally found the dress. It is an off-the-shoulder black dress with small rubies around the waist of it.

"All that hype for that one dress?" Nozomi asked curiously, "Eli-chi, are you exaggerating back at home when you said you saw the dress?"

"This is a time limited dress, Nozomi." Eli explained, "I felt the design is simple and nice for me. There's rubies on it too! It looks pretty beautiful to me, so I wanted to buy it. I know others want it too, so I rushed here to get it. I didn't know I was the earliest. Since we got some time before the crowd gets any bigger, I'm going to try the dress out. You can tell me how I look later."

She went into the fitting room and closed the door while Nozomi waited outside. After a few seconds, Eli came out in the dress. Nozomi stared at her in surprise as Eli showed the dress off. 

"She looks beautiful..." That was all Nozomi could think off as she stared at the blonde dreamily. Eli went on blabbering about the dress. Out of nowhere, Nozomi accidentally slipped a 'I love you so much' out of her mouth. She immediately covered her mouth when she realized what she had just said.

"What did you say, Nozomi?" Eli asked curiously, "I heard you say something, but I didn't hear it clearly..."

"Oh, I just said you look pretty!" Nozomi looked calm when she told her friend that, but inside, she's very nervous, and her heart is beating rapidly. She doesn't want Eli to find out she loves her for now.

"Ahh, thank you, Nozomi." Eli beamed with glee, "Thanks for the compliment. I shall get changed and buy this dress." She then went back into the fitting room. Nozomi heaved a sigh of relief. 

She wanted to show her feelings, but she's scared that her friendship would be as good as gone if she does so. She could only follow Hiroshi's advice and keep it inside her.

In the Nishikino General Hospital, Mr Nishikino is standing outside the meeting room, looking at his phone. He seemed to be straining his eyes on something when one of his colleagues went to him.

"Yo, Mahiro-san." The colleague looked at him, "The meeting's about to start in about four minutes. Aren't you going in to prepare yourself?"

"You go ahead." Mr Nishikino replied, "I got something to take care of." He looked at his phone and glared at his screen. It showed Nico and Maki in the living room, eating dinner together. 

**\-----**

In Maki's house, she and Nico sat opposite each other while they were eating Nico's fried rice. Nico looked at Maki and stopped eating.

"How's life without me for the past 3 years?" She questioned, "Did you miss me like how I missed you?"

"W...why are you asking such a question?" Maki is taken aback. Her cheeks turned red as she looked away, "You already knew the answer, don't you?" 

"I just want to hear it from you." Nico grinned, "Can you say it to me, please?" She looked at Maki with her puppy eyes. Maki widened her eyes in horror before sighing, "I...I...miss you too..."

"Aww!" Nico ran to her and hugged her. Maki smiled at her and caressed her hair. After that, they both said 'itadakimasu' before eating the fried rice. They talked about their lives and about µ's. They do miss the moments of µ's and are happy that they get to sing and dance again.

"But what about your doctor job?" Nico asked. Maki leaned on her chair and shrugged her shoulders, "I'll try my best to juggle both. I don't know how I'm going to do that, but I'll just go with the flow."

"Are you sure your father won't find out?" Nico queried worriedly.

"I'll hide it from him now.” Maki responded, “If he were to ever know that I went back to µ's, he would beat...I mean scold me."

"Beat?" Nico looked at Maki, "As in abuse? Is that what happened to your arm?"

"I...It isn't true..." Maki then pulled her right sleeve down by a bit, "He just scolded me. I fell down the other day as I was careless, and that's how I got that injury."

"To be honest, that doesn't look like an injury from falling down." Nico marched to her girlfriend and pulled the sleeve up. Maki tried resisting, but Nico is stronger. When she managed to pull the sleeve up, she saw several other scratch marks and scars on the arm. She lifted Maki's shirt and saw more of them.

"Maki-chan!" Nico glared at her, "Don't lie to me anymore! You got physically abused by your father, didn't you? Speak out with it!"

At this point, Maki looked down, refusing to face Nico, "Whenever I made a mistake, or when he is angry with life, he would get angry and beat me up with anything. A baseball bat, a book, or even one time, a glass cup. I can't fight because I'm weak. I don't have the energy to fight back too."

"Report him to the police!" Nico screamed, "What are you still doing, keeping quiet, listening to him like a dog?! He abused you and you said nothing about it! Do you really want to die one day and leave me alone?!"

"He's my father! I can't bear to report him." Maki looked away again, "After all, I understand how he’s feeling. My mother lost her life a few years ago, and my father is feeling especially down since then. Sometimes I make mistakes because I wasn’t smart enough or careless. It’s his right to scold me."

"But..."

"I will call the police when I need to." Maki said, "I will feel pain when he hits me, but it's nothing compared to him losing his own wife. It's nothing compared to me losing my own mother. Don't worry too much about me, alright? I'll be fine."

"You know I can't." Nico held her hands, "I won’t do nothing when my girlfriend is getting abused by anyone, especially her father! I'm going to report it! You don’t have to say a word."

"Nico-chan..."

"Say no more." Nico said, "Anytime your father is abusing you physically, just message 'H' to me. I'll call the police to come and stop it. Don't say no to it. I can't bear to see you have more scars. I don't care if he's your father or not. Domestic abuse is wrong in the first place."

Maki nodded her head and hugged Nico, "Thank you, Nico-chan. I appreciate what you're doing." Nico patted her head and smiled at her.

After dinner, they went to the couch and sat beside each other. Nico laid her head on Maki's shoulder as the latter took the remote control to switch the television on. She asked Nico if she had any movie preferences. Nico shook her head, and Maki played a random romantic movie. She then placed her arm on Nico's shoulder and watched the film.

After the film, Maki switched the television off and stretched her arms. The movie is quite cliché, but still one of her favorites. Maki stood up and looked at Nico, "I think you need to return home soon, don't you? I remembered you told me you need to pick your siblings up from their friend's house. It's about to be ten. You need to get going soon."

"I honestly wished it could be longer." Nico pouted, to which Maki responded, "You'll see me again when we meet up with the girls. You girls plan to create a new song as our comeback single, am I right?" 

"Will you really come?" Nico asked. Maki nodded her head, and Nico jumped in joy. Both of them were about to share a kiss when they heard the main door open. Maki told Nico to quickly hide under the sofa. 

Mr Nishikino then stormed into the living room and glared at Maki, "How dare you lie to me! You said you were sick, but I obviously saw you and that little bitch spending time together in this house!"

"Otou-san, I can explain..."

He didn't care to hear her explanation. He took his baseball bat and hit Maki on the back. She fell down and whined in pain as he smashed a vase on her. 

Nico quietly messaged Yosuke to help her pick up her siblings and to call the police. She gave him the address of both Maki's house and the friend's house. After that, she got out of the sofa and went to push Mr Nishikino away. She then placed herself on top of Maki, her back exposed to the hospital director.

"What are you doing, Nico-chan?!" Maki screamed.

"I'm protecting you! I will not let him hit you anymore! You've suffered enough!"

"Wow, you girls are so protective of each other. That's lovely." Mr Nishikino gripped his bat, "Since you want to protect her from getting hit, then you shall get it instead!" He continuously whacked Nico's back as she whimpered in pain. Maki tried to tell her father to stop, but to no avail. Nico knew she was in pain, but she took it bravely for Maki.

It went on for a full minute before police sirens could be heard. Mr Nishikino glared at the both of them, "Which one of you called the police over? I didn't invite them here. You girls love to prank call, don't you? You'll get it once I deal with them." He dropped the bat and went out of the living room to check it out. Nico rolled onto the floor and became unconscious.

"Nico-chan!" Maki shook her body, but she had no response. Maki quickly called the ambulance. She prayed they get to her house as fast as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kinda suck at writing NozoEli, so yeah XD
> 
> Also, I just want to place this Discord server here: https://discord.gg/R43Vc3X
> 
> This is a Love Live fanfiction Discord server, and of course, fanfictions are shared inside! We also talk about Love Live and stuff, so hop in if you're interested!


	19. First Song In Years

Maki waited outside Nico's ward in the hospital. She rubbed her hands with anxiety and then buried her face in it. She felt guilty for not doing anything while she watched Nico get beaten up by her father.

Yosuke saw Maki and rushed to her, "How's Nico-chan? Is she okay?" Maki looked at him and started tearing up, "I'm so worried about Nico-chan. I'm scared that her life might be in danger, or that she might not make it out alive. I don't want my girlfriend to die just a day after we got back together." She then hugged Yosuke. He hugged her back and patted her back. After sixty seconds, she let go of Yosuke and cleared her tears.

"How did you know I'm in the hospital?" She asked. Yosuke smirked, "Well, Nico-chan messaged me, and that's when I knew that she was going to take the blow for you. It's a long story. I'll explain it to you later."

A few minutes later, the doctor came out and Maki rushed to him, "Dr Hanekawa, how is she? Is she doing fine? Is she going to survive?"

"She's fine." He assured her, "She's having a minor back injury. It should heal within two to three days. Once that happens, she could be discharged."

"Thank you, Dr Hanekawa." Maki then rushed in the ward and hugged Nico as she wrapped her arms around her neck, "I'm so glad you're alive!"

"Jeez, it's just a back injury. Not a big deal." Nico replied. Yosuke stepped into the ward and smiled at the two of them. 

"Did you send my siblings home, Yosuke?" Nico asked. He nodded his head, "They are all safe and sound, asleep in their own rooms. I have called the police and they have arrested Nishikino-san. I've submitted the evidence too."

"Evidence?" Maki looked at Nico, "What evidence? And why is my father arrested? What's going on? Are you hiding something from me, Nico-chan?"

Nico looked at Maki, "I shall tell you the secret plan I came up with, and I asked Yosuke to help me! After we kissed in the toilet during our reconciliation, I saw a bruise on your arm. That's when I knew someone had abused you. I met up with him, and asked him if he had an extra phone that he isn't using. It was for recording the incident down. I took it out to your house, and I let myself be seen in front of the camera. That was to grab your father’s attention.”

“That’s dangerous!” Maki frowned at her, “I cannot believe you would do such a thing…”

“Let me finish, Maki-chan. While you're bathing, I placed the small secret camera that blends with the dining table. With that, I told Yosuke to help me call the police. I didn't expect Nishikino-san to be back early. Nonetheless, the whole footage is in Yosuke's hands, and he has reported it to the police. He will get arrested, and you won't suffer again.”

"You really thought so much and did a lot just to protect me." Maki smiled before hugging her, "Thank you, Nico-chan. I really appreciate all the things that you did. I love you so much."

"Anything for you, dear." Nico patted her back, “Move in with me, alright? I promise I will protect you from anything else.” Maki nodded her head happily. Yosuke grinned from ear to ear as he leaned against the wall and looked at them.

**\--µ’s--**

The next morning, the members of µ's, except for Nico and Maki, gathered in Hiroshi's recording studio while they waited for him and Yosuke to arrive. Hanayo and Rin are in a corner, talking about what Alan had told them the previous day.

"Are you really sure we could trust Hiroshi-chan again?" Rin asked, "I mean, as you heard from Alan-chan, he scammed a woman of eight million yen! That's why Hiroshi-chan is so rich now!"

"I don't think Hiroshi-chan would do something this low." Hanayo rebutted, "After all, we've been with him for some time now. He looks like the honest type of person. He helped us without any ulterior motive, or showed any signs of hiding something from us. But maybe Alan-san's right."

"We can't judge a book by its cover, Kayo-chin." Rin responded, "You might not know that he is just hiring us to steal our money, just like what he did to that singer!"

"Now you're just like last time." Hanayo shook her head, "Don't doubt him like that. He helped you find a caretaker for your father, reunited µ's, and treated us kindly. I think Alan-chan got it all wrong. I think he's just against Hiroshi-chan."

"Alan?" Yosuke went to them, "I heard you talking about him. What is this about?"

"Alan-chan told us Hiroshi-chan duped his friend, taking away a total of eight million yen!" Rin exclaimed, "I'm sure you know of this, don't you? Do you intend to hide this from us forever? You only make Hiroshi-chan look good in front of us, when you're trying your best to hide his past from us."

"Sorry, Yosuke-chan." Hanayo apologized, "Rin-chan's just like that. She doesn't trust a lot of men because of her past too. I hope you don't mind."

"I don't know what you are talking about. Number one, Hiroshi has never done such a thing." Yosuke said sternly, "I've been with him for years, and I would have known about it if he actually did it. Secondly, Alan hates Hiroshi to the core. Alan is out there to trick you people so that you girls will leave Hiroshi and join Alan instead. He uses underhand tactics to take Hiroshi out. I don't know how you girls met him, but stay away from him. It's up to you to believe me, but I am saying the truth. Hiroshi is not an evil guy with malicious intentions. He’s a guy who truly wants to support µ’s." He then walked off and opened the door to the studio.

Hanayo looked at Rin, "Now, can you stop being biased against Hiroshi-chan? Not all the men are the same."

Rin nodded her head in response, "Fine. I'm sorry for mistaking Hiroshi-chan as the bad guy. Still, why did Alan-chan lie to us?"

Hanayo tried to think of some reason Alan had fabricated that tale to trick them. After a few seconds, she remembered the fight that happened outside Honoka's house between him and Hiroshi.

A few minutes later, the girls are sitting on the sofa in the studio as Hiroshi briefed them on their songwriting. Yosuke has set up a video call session for Nico and Maki, who are in the hospital, to be virtually present.

"So you guys are planning to make a comeback song for your fans?" Hiroshi queried.

"We want to sing our hearts out just like how we did last time." Eli smiled, "Because of our busy lives, we all aren't able to do it. Now that we are back together as one, we feel we should sing a song."

"Besides, we want to thank our fans for sticking with us through thick and thin." Umi added on, "Even though we aren't active for a few years, they still stood by our side. We feel that we should thank them in this song."

"I'll be damn excited to hear it once you're done!" Yosuke said with excitement, "How long do you girls take to write a song though?"

"At the very least, two weeks." Honoka answered, "Other than writing lyrics, we need to find a producer too. We'd usually get help from this producer. He helped us throughout the years."

Honoka called the producer, named Kyo-sama on her phone, and asked if he could produce a song for µ's again. He agreed to do it, and told her the instrumental would come in three hours. Kyo had a beat for µ's that he made about a year ago, and he wanted them to use it in case they got back together.

All that is left is the writing of the lyrics. Hiroshi volunteered and suggested that he help them in the writing of the lyrics. When Nico asked for the reason, Yosuke decided to reveal that Hiroshi is a songwriter who writes for renown singers around the world. The girls are surprised, as they didn't expect their manager to be a songwriter.

For the rest of the afternoon, Hiroshi and the girls started brainstorming for lyrics to write. They discussed how the first verse and chorus should sound like, and the people who would sing at which part. While they were doing so, Yosuke offered to help them buy lunch. 

It isn't long before it is evening. They have, so far, only completed three-quarter of the first verse and half of the chorus. It isn't fast progress, but it is steady. Umi told everyone that physical training would start the next day to keep everyone fit so that they can dance. Everyone would have to meet at the local Kanada Shrine at seven in the morning. All of them groaned except for Eli, who seemed pretty excited about it.

Afterwards, Honoka went out with Nathan to have dinner with him while the rest decided to go home and take a rest. Before Umi left, Hiroshi went to her.

"Umi!" He called out. She turned around and saw him.

"Oh, hey, Hiroshi-chan." Umi said, "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"You know about the outing?" Hiroshi asked, "Remember when I told you we would have the outing once I find all the members? I don't think that's possible right now as we're currently writing a song. Do you think we can have the outing after we finish writing our song?"

Umi nodded her head in agreement. Hiroshi smiled and waved goodbye to her. She waved back and beamed gleefully as he walked away. Yosuke and Kotori hid behind a wall. They have been listening to the conversation all this while.

"Hiroshi...and Umi-chan are going out?" Yosuke sounded a bit upset.

"I didn't expect Umi to invite Hiroshi out for a outing." Kotori commented, "It's pretty rare to see Umi-chan asking someone out, much less a man..." She then looked at him, "Are you okay, Yosuke-chan?" She asked worriedly.

He lightly slapped his face and smiled, "I'm fine. Don't worry about me." He then walked away. Kotori looked at Hiroshi and Umi one more time before sighing.

**\-----**

In a Chinese restaurant, Nathan ordered two plates of fried rice. He had recommended Honoka to try it out because he really liked it a lot, and it is the food he would choose every time he comes to this restaurant.

"Later, when you choose your dress at the store, make sure to pick a party-themed one." He said to her, "I'll pay for the dress and the shoes too. Please choose something appropriate."

"Alright." Honoka replied. There was a moment of awkwardness and silence between them before she spoke up, "So, what kind of job do you work as?"

"Accountant." He responded immediately, "I take care of accounts. What do you work as?"

"An idol." She said it proudly, "In fact, I am the leader of a school idol...I mean, an idol group named µ's."

"What the hell is that?" Nathan is confused, "Idol group? Is it just you and your other members singing?"

Honoka nodded her head, "We dance, too. Have you really not watched our music videos, or even heard of us at all?"

"Nope." He then passed her his phone, "Search your music up in the music store. Maybe I will give it a listen and I might like it." She took it and typed µ's into the search bar. She passed the phone back to him and he scrolled through their Best Collection album. He purchased it with a tap.

"I do hope you enjoy it!" Honoka smiled at him.

"I'll be looking forward to hearing your songs." Nathan said, "By the way, why are you at the nightclub that night? Something sad happened that day?"

Honoka kept quiet and looked down. Nathan looked at her and knew that she didn't want to talk about it. He respected her decision and shut his mouth.

* * *

In the middle of the night, Hiroshi wakes up, sweating and huffing rapidly. He thought of the incident again. It's like every other night, but now things have changed. Instead of waking up every two to four hours, he now wakes up every forty five minutes. In fact, this is his fifth time he got up. He dreams about the accident more than before.

He also remembered about what Alan had said to him about it. _You caused his death. It's your fault Hisashi died!_ Those words are etched in his mind like a broken record. He can't get it out of his brain, and it's constantly haunting him too. He tried going back to sleep, and the same thing happened after forty five minutes.

"Am I reverting back to my old self again?" He thought worriedly. 

In the morning, Alan called for Hanayo to meet him in a food centre. He is planning to smear Hiroshi's name more, in hopes that Hanayo quit being under him and go to Alan instead. He also wishes that she would influence the other girls to join him. He wants to win Hiroshi in everything.

After a while, Hanayo arrived in a sports attire and sat opposite of Alan. They both ordered their food before talking to each other.

"So, why do you want to meet me today?" Hanayo questioned, "You sounded very urgent. Is there anything you needed from me?"

"You know, when I told you that Hiroshi scammed someone, that wasn't the only bad thing he has done." Alan said, "He has hidden a lot of things from you, and I don't want you getting tricked by him. I have heard that he had molested a woman before, and then threatened her not to say it out loud, or not he'll expose her nudes."

"Alan-chan, what do you gain from this?" Hanayo became annoyed, "Satisfaction?"

"What are you talking about, Hanayo-chan?"

"You lied to us about the eight million." Hanayo glared at him, "Yosuke-chan told us that you fabricated that story, and you wanted to trick us thinking that Hiroshi-chan's a bad guy when he's actually not."

"And you trusted his words? He could be lying to cover up for his friend."

"You're trying to deny it? I've heard your confrontation with Hiroshi-chan that afternoon from Honoka-chan. You hate him, and thus you are saying bad things to us about him because you hate him. It is never true. I trust Yosuke-chan and Hiroshi-chan. They saved me from my miserable life, especially Hiroshi-chan. If he's going to scam us, he wouldn't have placed in so much effort reforming µ's. He wouldn't have readily helped me with my seventy five million debt if he had evil intentions like you!"

"He paid seventy five million yen..." Alan was speechless. Hanayo stood up angrily, "You can hate him all you want. I don't care. But because you lied to us about him, that made me really upset. You betrayed my trust, and you made me doubt a nice person for a moment. Don't ever see me again." She then stormed off. Alan scratched his head in frustration, knowing that he had screwed up by making his favorite idol mad. He needs to think of a way for her to forgive him.

* * *

For the next few days, even though Hiroshi is tired from all the nightmares, he still manages to help µ's with the writing of the song. During the process, they listened to the beat and tried to fit the words with the instrumental. They wanted it to sound melodic and uplifting at the same time. They needed to make sure they do not sound off-beat too, or not it'll make the song bad.

Finally, after a long week, they have finally finished writing the song. They also have a title for the song. Now, it is time to pick a location for their music video, and their outfits. Kotori and Nico then proceeded to sew the dresses while the rest of the girls thought of the dance moves. 

They have decided that they would want to do it in front of Otonokizaka High. It's only right they film the video there. After all, the high school was the place where all of them studied. That is where they gained their fans. That is where the nine girls came together and formed µ's. Even though all of their belongings are taken away, their spirit still lives on. They also like to bring back the nostalgia they all have. On the day of filming the music video, Yosuke and Hiroshi are sitting at the side, watching the girls in the white dresses, specially tailored by Kotori and Nico, practicing their dance moves.

"Can you believe it, Hiroshi?" He asked excitedly, "We used to be watching µ's through the Internet. Seeing their music videos online, staring in awe at their dance moves, and getting touched by reading the lyrics. Now, here we are. We get to see them write a song, with you helping. We also get to see them dance in real time. I'm really so happy to finally experience this. This is my lifetime dream. I really can't thank you enough, Hiroshi."

"As long as you're happy, I'm happy too." Hiroshi smiled back. They sat back on their chairs and watched the girls dance.

* * *

The single, named 'A song for You! You? You!!', and its music video are released the next day during midnight. The views on the video skyrocketed within twelve hours. The single occupied the second spot in the music charts. µ's became popular once again, like they used to be seven years ago. Their comeback is the talk of the town, and their fans rejoiced. The girls, Hiroshi, and Yosuke are elated to see everyone welcoming them back into the world.

On that same morning, Yosuke brought Honoka to Hiroshi's house to pick him up. They had planned to have a party for the release of the new song, and for Umi. Her birthday has passed ten days ago. Although everyone wished her happy birthday, she didn't want the party to be held until they were done with the song.

Once the car stopped outside his house, they got out and went to his doorstep. Yosuke knocked on his door and Hiroshi opened the door. Yosuke and Honoka are surprised to see Hiroshi holding a luggage with his left hand, and another one beside him.

"What are you doing, Hiroshi-chan?" Honoka asked curiously, "Why are you carrying those luggages? Are you going to travel overseas today? You didn't tell us about it, though." Hiroshi looked at the living room before looking at the duo, "I'm moving out of this house and selling it."

Yosuke is shocked upon hearing that, “You’re selling Hisashi’s house?! Why the hell would you do it? He passed it down to you for you to keep it, not sell it!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1000 hits...Unbelievable...
> 
> When I made this story, I only wanted a few hits, maybe 400+, that's all. Who knew I would get so many hits in less than 2 months? I am really grateful to each and every one who read my story, kudos'd, and/or commented on it. I do appreciate it. With that, I do have a podcast in mind. Probably it won't be posted soon, and it's still in planning mode though. So, no confirmation yet.
> 
> I would like to thank [SupremeMari](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SupremeMari/profile) for helping me re-edit this whole chapter and proofreading my story in general! Give his stories a read, because his writing style is so greatly written!
> 
> And yes, you can join this Love Live Fanfic server named [Idol Fanfic Hell](https://discord.gg/R43Vc3X) where all we do is talk about Love Live, and writing too ( _but we all know we procrastinate_ ) 
> 
> Finally, once again, thank you for all the support!


	20. Party Nights

A few hours ago, Hiroshi was about to sleep. Before that, he had to do a very important job. Since he is the manager of µ's, he needs to release their new song to music stores. Besides that, he has to post the music video online at exactly midnight. He has to pay music distributors to help place the song into online music stores. He also needs to go to the social media page of µ's and promote it.

He was able to finish everything on the dot. The single? In stores. The music video? Posted. Promotion on social media? Done. He yawned and stretched his arms. These few days have been tiring and busy for him, especially the day when the music video was filmed. It took the whole day, and that made him exhausted. 

He decided that the best way to rest is to take a nap. Since he is so tired, surely he had no energy to think about the accident. He just needs a nice, warm bath, and then he can lie on his bed.

Once he was done with bathing, he hung his towel by the window and jumped onto the bed. At this point, he was so sleepy he fell asleep straight away without using the blanket. He thought he would have a good night's rest for one time. Just this once.

Unfortunately, things didn't go his way. He woke up thirty minutes later, thanks to the same nightmare that has been waking him up for three years. He is confused. Isn't he tired? How can he still have thought about it? He also remembered what Alan had said to him that afternoon.

"Oh no, I'm reverting back to my old self because of him, aren't I?" Hiroshi lightly slapped his face and told himself that it won't happen if he can try to forget. However, he just keeps waking up. Over and over again. 

He is sick and tired of it. As if he isn't worn out from all the work, now he has to deal with this problem. He walked around the house and looked at the main door. He knew he had to do something so that he could stop dreaming about it. He had to move out. Why so? Before he moved back into this house, he was living in Yosuke's house. Yes, he did think about the accident sometimes, but it wasn't every single night. It's different in this eerie house. It reminds him of it.

The next morning, he packed his belongings into two luggages and zipped it close. He then went to the instruments room. He knew he wouldn't be able to play the piano again. He is planning to move into a small apartment, so the piano would not be able to fit in. Still, he wanted to play it one last time. As he was about to play it, he heard someone knocking on his door. He took his luggages and opened the door. He saw Yosuke and Honoka standing outside.

"What are you doing, Hiroshi-chan?" Honoka asked curiously, "Why are you carrying those luggages? Are you going to travel overseas today? You didn't tell us about it, though." Hiroshi looked at the living room before looking at the duo, "I'm moving out of this house and selling it."

Yosuke was shocked upon hearing that, "You're selling Hisashi's house?! Why the hell would you do it? He passed them down to you for you to keep it, not sell it!"

"I will tell you the story later." Hiroshi patted Yosuke's shoulder, "But, before I go, do you mind staying here for a while? I want to play my piano for the last time before I sell it, along with the house." He then looked at the instruments room from the living room.

**\--µ’s--**

After Hiroshi got the money from the buyer of the house, he drove Yosuke and Honoka to his new apartment. Honoka took the backseat while Yosuke took the front.

"I didn't know you could play the piano." Honoka told Hiroshi as Yosuke drove them to their destination, "You amazed me a lot. You can play _Aishiteru Banzai_ so beautifully. I wished I could have recorded that."

"I was just following the music sheet. Anyone could have played that." Hiroshi retorted before yawning. Honoka looked at the rear-view mirror and saw the dark circles under Hiroshi's eyes.

"You have dark circles under your eyes." She told him, "Have you not been sleeping well, Hiroshi-chan? Sleep is very essential, you know. Lack of sleep will make you sick."

"Hiroshi, do you want to tell her about it?" Yosuke questioned, "I know it's a sensitive topic to touch on, so I won't say it without your permission."

"You mean about Hiroshi-chan and that other guy he pinned to the wall?" Honoka asked.

"How much have you heard?" Hiroshi took a glance at her.

"Everything." As soon as she said that, Hiroshi sighed and facepalmed himself. He didn't expect someone to be eavesdropping his conversation with Alan. Maybe he should follow Kotori's advice.

They then reached a small ten-story apartment building. They went to the fifth floor and went to unit 512. Hiroshi opened the door and walked in. He saw the key on the dining table. 

In the house, there is a small living room with a television, sofa, and a dining table. There is also a kitchen, which is not big at all, and a bedroom with a toilet. He placed his luggages in the room before allowing Honoka and Yosuke to step in. 

The two sat down on the sofa while Hiroshi leaned against the wall. He cleared his throat before speaking, "I've sold the house because I feel that it is the reason causing me to have nightmares. Alan, of course, contributed to it too. I always get reminded of the accident. No worries, his guitar is with me."

"So, you're reverting back to your old self, huh?" Yosuke gave a smirk. Hiroshi sighed, "I'll act a bit more crazy during this period of time, so please help me if you can." Yosuke nodded his head.

"Honoka, Yosuke will explain to you everything while he brings you to Umi's house." Hiroshi stretched his arms, "I'll be there later, after I catch some Zs."

"But..." Honoka tried to talk to him but he went straight into his room, plopped onto his bed, and fell asleep immediately. 

"You and the girls are just gonna party the whole day?" He asked. Honoka shook her head, "Party is happening tonight. Right now, we're just planning to spend some time together. Maybe play some bowling, watch a movie, or even sing at the karaoke bar."

"How about we do all three?" Yosuke suggested.

"I think that's a pretty good idea!" She replied, "But is Hiroshi-chan not going to follow us? He's our manager, and is one of us after all. We shouldn't just leave him behind."

"As you can see, he's tired." Youske said, "C'mon, let's go and visit the rest of the girls. I'll tell you the story along the way, and you can't tell anyone else. He wants to keep it a secret, so as to not worry the others. You can do that, can you?" Honoka nodded her head.

Alan drove to Homura Bakery and went into the shop. He saw Honoka's mother, who is counting the money in the cash register. When she looked up, she saw him and smiled at him.

"Alan-chan, it's been a while since I've seen you." She smiled, "May I know what you would like to buy? Since you're someone I know, I can give you a ten percent discount on those sweets."

"Umm, Kosaka-san, I am looking for Hanayo-chan." He said, "I want to talk to her for a while."

At that moment, Rin and Hanayo saw Alan as they were walking down the stairs. He turned and looked at them too, and got scared when Hanayo glared daggers at him. He gulped in fear.

"Rin-chan, give me a moment." Hanayo uttered, "Can you get the milk in the fridge, please?" Rin nodded her head and walked to the kitchen. Hanayo went out of the shop and told Alan to follow her. She breathed in and out before sighing.

"What are you here for?" She asked in an emotionless voice. Alan went to her, "Hanayo-chan, I know I'm in the wrong giving you false information about your manager. I should have known better than to lie to you."

"You should. You're tainting his name for no reason other than the fact that you hate him a lot. Even so, you shouldn't go to the extent of trying to badmouth him without evidence to try and convince me to jump to your side. That's not very fair."

"I know, and I've realized my mistake." Alan bowed down, "Please forgive me, Hanayo-chan. I really do not wish for my favorite idol to hate me forever. I hope you can forgive me, and allow me to amend my mistakes."

"Can you promise me you won't do this again?" She asked. He nodded his head, and she grins at him. She asked if he wanted to stay and celebrate with µ's for their newest song. Alan kindly turned it down as he got work to do.

As soon as Alan left, Yosuke and Honoka arrived. Honoka told Hanayo that there have been a change of plans, and that the celebration and birthday party will be held tonight. 

At four in the afternoon, Hiroshi finally woke up from his deep sleep. He didn't think about the accident, which is a good thing to him. He hoped it would not happen anytime soon. He went to wash up and call Yosuke about his whereabouts. 

"We're bowling right now." Yosuke told him, "You can join us if you want to. Or else, you can meet us at the karaoke bar later. We're going to sing some karaoke, and you should come with us. You're a great singer, after all."

"Alright. I'll meet you there." Hiroshi then ended the call and went out of the house. He drove to the karaoke bar and waited for Yosuke and the girls to arrive.

A few minutes later, they arrived and went into the room Hiroshi is in. Yosuke then suggested a singing competition between the three sub-units, namely Printemps, BiBi, and lily white. The group that got the lowest score has to do an embarrassing forfeit. The girls accepted the challenge.

BiBi started first with their song 'PSYCHIC FIRE', and their score is 94. lily white followed up next with 'Shunjou Romantic'. Their score is 92. Printemps ended it with 'NO EXIT ORION', and they got one score lower. Hence, Hanayo, Honoka, and Kotori have to howl like a wolf outside of their room for thirty seconds as the rest laughed at them. After that, the girls went to do some casual singing. While Hiroshi was resting at a corner, Honoka went to him and sat beside him. 

"So, you're a well-known singer, huh?" Honoka asked him. He looked at her, "Yosuke told you everything, including the accident, right?" She nodded her head in response, "To think that Alan-chan actually did that. It's really despicable. But let's not talk about the unhappy stuff. Why don't you tell everyone that you can sing?"

"I don't feel the need to do so." He replied, "Besides, there's a reason why I wore the mask. That means I definitely do not want anyone to find out that I'm The Man." 

"You know, I'm interested to find out how you sing in real life." She gave a cheeky smile, "Since you're already here, then you should make use of the time here wisely!" Without giving him time to react, she gave him a microphone.

"You're going to sing a song with me!" Honoka said happily, "I'll pick a duet song so that it'll be easier for us!" When Honoka finally found one, she played the song and she sang the first verse. Hiroshi sang the second verse. Both of them then sang the chorus together. After the song, everyone applauded and praised Hiroshi's vocals. They are surprised he could actually sing quite well.

**\-----**

At night, Yosuke, Hiroshi, and the girls are in the living room of Honoka's house. Kotori placed a birthday cake on the table while Nozomi poured everyone a glass of water.

"Here's to the success of the new song!" Hiroshi shouted as he raised his glass. Everyone else did the same while screaming 'Yeah!' happily in response. They then drank the water.

"I can't believe forty thousand units of our single have been sold." Hanayo said, "It really feels unreal and joyous at the same time."

"Our music video is the most trending video in the Internet right now, nya!" Rin added on excitedly, "We are also the most talked topic of today in many different social media platforms!"

"Critics seem to love our song too." Maki grinned.

"Besides the song, we'll be celebrating Umi-chan's birthday today." Yosuke interrupted the trio, "Even though her birthday was like a few days ago, we didn't have time for it as we were busy with the song. Lucky for us, we have the time now. We'll sing the birthday song to Umi-chan, okay?" 

The rest, except Umi, nodded their heads in agreement. Honoka lit the candle on the cake and then they started singing the birthday song to Umi. Umi bowed down and thanked everyone for holding the party.

When the girls and Yosuke are talking merrily, Hiroshi sat at one corner, staring into space. He suddenly remembered what Alan had said to him that afternoon. For no reason. It keeps replaying in his head. Whenever he thinks of those words, he will be reminded of the accident. Inevitably. 

Kotori went to him and sat beside him, "Hey, Hiroshi-chan. Why are you sitting here alone?" He didn't hear her. He only heard of the screeches the car made, the woman crying, and the driver asking if the person knocked down was okay.

"Hiroshi-chan?" Kotori looked at him worriedly before waving her hands in front of him. He shook his head and looked at her, "I'm sorry. I was just lost in thought. Do you need anything from me?"

"Nah." Kotori told him, "You're still thinking about the depressing event, aren't you?"

"Yup." Hiroshi replied, "Let's not talk about me, shall we? Kotori, the dresses you tailored that day for the song...they are beautiful."

"Thank you, Hiroshi-chan." She smiled at him, "It means a lot coming from our manager. Nico-chan also stepped in to help, you know."

Hiroshi saw this as an opportunity to talk to his favorite girl in µ's more, "I hope to get to know you better, since I'm your manager. What's your background? Do you have any other hobbies beside tailoring, singing, and dancing?"

"I have a degree in fashion design. As you know, I worked as a fashion designer in America. I have worked as a maid too, but that's ages ago. I can cook, quilt, and make candy too. I would give it to Umi-chan and Honoka-chan sometimes for them to eat it and give their opinions on it. What about you, Hiroshi-chan?"

"Well, I have a degree in business. I'm just a guy without a job, until I managed you girls. It's been a tough job for me to get all of you together, but it was done. By the way, I'm sorry for my attitude towards you in America. I shouldn't have kicked up such a big fuss."

"That was some time ago, so naturally I had forgotten about it." Kotori patted his shoulder, "Don't worry about it. I don't remember such trivial things. I'm glad you encouraged us and pushed us on to pursue our dreams. I have never felt such happiness in such a short while."

"The guy you got to thank is Yosuke. He made me do it. I owed him a favor, and he wanted μ's to be together again. He is really a big fan of μ's. To see you girls as one really made him happy."

Both of them kept quiet before Hiroshi spoke up, "So, when are you free? I would like to have a casual chat with you."

"If you don't mind, you can come to my house." Kotori replied, "We can talk in my room, and I can make some food for you."

Hiroshi nodded his head in agreement, "Alright, tell me when you're free." He is happy that she is willing to spend time with him. Now he knows how Yosuke feels when he is around Umi.

The next day, Honoka is preparing herself for the party. She went to the shopping mall and collected the dress, socks, and heels from the shop. She then got a call from Nathan.

"I'll meet you outside the shop by five." He told her, "Don't be late, please." Honoka answered with a 'yes' before taking a bath. After that, she sat down in front of the mirror and started doing her makeup.

At four forty five in the afternoon, Nathan parked his car outside the Homura shop and got out of the car. He leaned his back against the door of the passenger seat and looked at his phone while waiting for Honoka. 

Around five minutes later, he heard Honoka saying goodbye to her mother and walking towards him. He looked up and was stunned by her appearance. She donned a light green dress with orange, white, and gold colors on it. She wore a white choker with beads around it, and a necklace. She also wore thigh high socks and light green heels to match with the dress. 

"Do I look okay?" She asked worriedly, "There's nothing wrong with this. Did I wear it wrongly?" Nathan shook his head, "You look beautiful. This dress really fits you."

"Oh really? Thanks." She blushed. He opened the door for her to get in the car. When she did so, he went back to the driver's seat and drove off. A few minutes later, they walked into the ballroom and saw lots of people dancing.

"The lucky draw starts in ten minutes." Nathan said, "There's still some time to dance. May I?" She nodded her head. He extended his hand out to her, and she placed hers on his. He escorted her to the dance floor and started slow dancing.

During the dance, he gazed at her. Maybe when she's drunk, she looks super uncouth and ugly. However, when she's in such a dress, he finds her pretty and gorgeous. While Honoka was dancing, she looked around and saw Akiyoshi and his mistress, Janice. Akiyoshi managed to see her too, and is shocked. That caused Janice to stare at Honoka with glaring eyes, and sneer at her. Nathan saw everything but didn't say anything.

During the lucky draw, Nathan and Honoka are each writing a three digit number on a small piece of paper before folding it into two halves. He noticed Honoka is looking a bit distracted and angry.

"That woman you're looking at...she's my colleague." He told her. She ignored it and continued writing. He guessed something must have gone wrong between the two girls.

After everyone in the ballroom had written their number, they placed their papers in a bucket. A representative took it and brought it to the stage, where the boss would pick a lucky number from it.

He shook the bucket before closing his eyes and randomly taking a piece of paper from it. He opened his eyes and unfolded the paper. Once he looked at the number, he picked his microphone up.

"The lucky number to win seven million and five hundred thousand yen is..."

Honoka and Nathan prayed and hoped that either one of them would win the prize money.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pretty bad writing, I know. 
> 
> 2 days to my 2nd month anniversary of posting it here (although I started posting this story in Wattpad and FF on 3 July 2020), and the support this book has gotten is heartwarming and wholesome. Once again, thanks for all the support. 
> 
> Also, join [Idol Fanfic Hell](https://discord.gg/R43Vc3X) for a place where we talk about Love Live and its fanfics too!


	21. Overflowing Emotions

In the ballroom, Honoka, Nathan, and his colleagues were waiting for their boss to announce the winner of a lucky draw. The boss took up the microphone and started speaking.

"The lucky number to win seven million and five hundred thousand yen is...3...0...8...The number is 308!"

"308?" Nathan asked as everyone clapped their hands, "Who would have thought of a number like that?" Honoka immediately jumped in joy. He looked at her, "Wait, your number is 308?" Honoka nodded her head happily and hugged him. He smiled at her and patted her shoulder.

After the ball, Honoka went to collect the cheque. She didn't expect to win the lucky draw just like that. She can finally pay Nathan back for the blazer she had ruined. He went to her, "Congrats, Honoka. You won the draw. How do you feel now?"

"Excited and elated." Honoka replied, "I'll try to withdraw the money as soon as possible so that I can pay you back the money that I had owed you."

"Take your time. No need to rush." He told her. Janice then stormed to Honoka, with Akiyoshi following behind.

"Nathan, how can you pick such a loser as your partner?" Janice laughed, "She's never a good choice. There are so many pretty girls in the world that you could've gotten, and you chose to pick her."

"Do not call her a loser, Janice." Nathan retorted, "She's not one. She's a nice woman, unlike you. You only know how to insult people. Besides, it's none of your business why I picked her."

"Well, you said it wrongly. I don't insult people. I state the facts. She thinks she's big now because she and her bunch of goonies released a song, and everyone's talking about it. She's just a loser who can't keep her boyfriend at all. She's so ugly and poor that not even her ex wants her. He wants me. I have everything. The money, the love, the looks. Unlike this disgusting piece of trash."

Honoka is on the verge of crying. Nathan realized it and glared at Janice, "Enough, Janice. Does stealing someone's boyfriend make you feel proud of yourself?"

"Yes! Because that means I'm more capable than that ugly ass bitch!" Janice screamed. Honoka, unable to take any more insults, ran out of the hall. 

"What a fucking pussy she is." Janice cackled, "Tell her she can go and cry to her mummy!" Nathan glared at her before running after Honoka.

She ran to the stairs and sat down. She started sobbing softly and burying her face in her hands. Nathan managed to find her and sat beside her.

"I guess that man with her is your ex, and Janice's the mistress?" He asked, "Don't mind her. Sometimes, she can be a very nasty woman. Don't take her words to heart."

She looked up at him, her eyes filled with tears, "I can't take it...she stole my damn boyfriend, so why the hell does she still want to insult me? What did I do in my previous life to deserve all this? I loved my boyfriend with all my heart. I...I tried my best to be as loving and sweet as possible, and make him the happiest man in the world. Yet, he...he cheated on me for a rich girl. What did I do wrong? I was just trying..." She then broke down and started crying uncontrollably. He pulled her close to him and hugged her. 

He decided to bring her home to rest. He asked if he could send her home, and she agreed. On the way back, Nathan constantly checked on Honoka to see if she's okay.

"I know it's not my business to meddle into your affairs, but I can understand why you feel very devastated." He said, "I really do. Maybe one day, if you want, I can tell you about it." Honoka just looked out of the window and sighed.

**\--µ’s--**

A few minutes later, he drove her back to her house. He stopped the car and looked at her, "Rest well tonight. If you need any comfort, you can call me. You got my number."

"Thank you for today." She then got out of the car and walked into her house. He shook his head before he drove away. Honoka went into her room and sat down on her bed. She thought about the memories she had with Akiyoshi. The most fond memory she had with him is that one night, when they had a romantic dinner and visited the seaside, where they had their first kiss.

Two years ago, Honoka dolled herself up in her room. She donned a light green flower dress, a white thin jacket, and a necklace. She wore black thigh high socks and wool high heeled boots. She then went out of the house and took a taxi to the restaurant.

She found the table Akiyoshi is sitting at, and skipped to him happily. He talked about his work life and his colleagues while she conversed about her new love for the new single of A-RISE. After their dinner, they went to the beach. Akiyoshi held her hand and walked onto the sand before looking at her.

"You know, you look so pretty, Honoka." He smiled. She blushed as she looked away, "You're saying that to flatter me." He held her head and turned it towards him, "I've always dreamt of holding the girl of my dreams. Now, that dream just came true. You are really so beautiful, Honoka. I'm so glad I'm together with you now."

"You're handsome too, Akiyoshi-san." She sheepishly grinned. He then slowly went near to her face. Both of them closed their eyes and kissed each other. 

Honoka looked at her wrist. On it is the rhodium heart bracelet Akiyoshi gave her for their one year anniversary. She took it off and placed it back in a small box before throwing it across the room angrily. She then cried. 

* * *

Hiroshi stormed out of the house as someone was chasing him, calling out for him. He walked across the road and was about to turn to his right when he heard tires screeching. There was no more noise for a moment, as he heard a loud bang. 

He turned around and was shocked to find out a car had knocked someone down, and a woman was kneeling beside him, crying. Hiroshi slowly walked towards the back of the car and stopped in front of the man. His hands trembled, and his mind went blank. He was feeling a lot of emotions at that point. He was unsure of how to react or feel at the moment. 

The man that got knocked out is none other than Posty, who is unconscious and lying on the floor, with blood flowing out of his mouth. Hiroshi shook his head, "No, this can't be happening. It's impossible. This is not true."

Hiroshi woke up from his bed in cold sweat. He had only been sleeping for an hour, and he had already dreamt of the nightmare. Finally. The time has come. He remembered the full accident. He's reverting back to his old-self. Slowly, but surely.

He got out of bed and went to the toilet to wash his face. He thought of the number of times he was going to wake up and sighed. As he looked up at the mirror, he suddenly saw Posty in the reflection, speaking in a demonic voice, "You caused my death!"

Hiroshi screamed in fear and stumbled back. He fell onto the floor, huffing rapidly. That voice echoed in his mind loudly. He is so scared of that. He looked at the mirror once more, and now it only showed a reflection of his face. He sighed and went back to sleep.

* * *

The next morning, Umi waited outside a shopping centre. She wore a white long-sleeved shirt, and a long black skirt. She kept looking at her watch and tapped her feet. She has waited for half an hour, and Hiroshi is still not here. They decided to have the date today, and she can't believe he can be this late. Luckily, she wore her sneakers so that she won't feel so pain standing.

Five minutes later, Hiroshi finally arrived. He came in a polo t-shirt and black pants. He stopped in front of Umi, "I'm so sorry I came late. I overslept, and I didn't wake up on time. I tried my best to rush here as fast as possible."

"Excuses." She glared at him, "You were the one who wanted the date to be today, and yet you're thirty five minutes late. You need to learn to be punctual."

"I'm sorry, Umi." He bowed down, "I will be punctual next time, if we ever go out again." Umi then noticed dark circles under his eyes. She looked at him worriedly, "Have you been getting enough sleep, Hiroshi-chan? Your dark circles are really obvious."

"It's okay." He lied, "There's nothing wrong with it. I just couldn't sleep well because I had a cough. I've eaten a pill for it and drank water before I came out."

"If you're sick, we can do this another day, Hiroshi-chan. Please don't force yourself to come out."

"I'm fine, Umi. Don't worry so much about me. Anyways, I'm pretty interested about where you're going to bring me. You told me you're bringing me to some fun places."

"Oh, I sure am." She smiled, "But why did you ask me to come here? Surely there's a reason, right?" Hiroshi nodded and told her to follow him. He went into an idol shop, and Umi's face immediately turned red. He brought her to the section where the music CDs and merchandise of µ's are at.

"W..w...why did you bring me here?" Umi asked, "T...this is too embarrassing for me!" Hiroshi just laughed, "I'm here to let you know how famous µ's is. This shelf here used to be full of CDs. Now, it's just left with a few. Same with the merchandise stuff. All those keychains, paper cards, paper fans, and so on. There used to be a lot of them. Now, it's almost out of stock. I'm here for a different reason though. Let me see if I can find what I want." He looked through the shelf as Umi covered her face with her handbag. A few seconds later, he found the CD he wanted.

"Phew, just one copy left." He said, "I'm lucky it's still here." Umi looked at what he is holding and realized it is her solo album CD. She stared at him with a surprised look.

"Yeah, I like the songs in here, so I decided that I wanted to buy this." He took his wallet out and paid the cashier. The cashier recognized Umi upon seeing her.

"Are you Umi Sonoda-san from the idol group µ's?" He asked excitedly. She nodded shyly. He squealed in delight immediately, "I'm such a big fan of µ's! I love your new song so much! I thought I wouldn't be able to hear a single song from you girls again, but you came back with this awesome song!"

"Thanks." She muttered softly. As they are walking from the shop to the carpark, they are constantly stopped by people. They described themselves as devoted fans of µ's who have been constantly listening to their music and praying for their comeback, praising 'A song for You! You? You!!', and are glad that µ's is back together. Some of them even took photos with her.

When they got back into Hiroshi's car, Umi sighed and buckled her seatbelt. She felt so embarrassed and shy when she saw so many of the fans earlier. He noticed it and told her, "Your fans appreciate and welcome the comeback of µ's. They love it so much that I'm pretty sure you can tell from their attitude and beaming faces."

"I guess you're correct right from the start." Umi smiled at him, "They really waited for this comeback, and they really loved it. Thank you, Hiroshi-chan. You gave us this chance to shine again. To chase our dreams without fear. To make our fans happy again." He grinned at her before driving out of the car park. 

**\-----**

During Mr Nishikino's sentencing hearing in the Supreme Court of Japan, Maki talked to the lawyer about the times her father had physically and mentally abused her ever since he knew she wanted to be an idol with Nico instead of being a doctor. He took anything near him and hit her with it continuously until she was bleeding. He constantly blamed her for her mother's death, and had called her names too. She also said that her mother had prepared a hidden camera in the house, so that she can report to the police anytime her father hits her. 

Next up, Nico told the lawyer about what really happened that night, when he had hit her with a baseball bat while she protected her girlfriend. Finally, Mr Nishikino sat at the counsel table and confessed his crimes, with all the evidence and witnesses against him. He admitted he had beaten Maki Nishikino up on a number of occasions and that he had assaulted Nico Yazawa. The judge concluded the case by saying that although he had the intention to abuse and wanted things to go his way, he had no purpose of killing the victim in any way. He has also endangered the life of another being. He therefore charged Mr Nishikino for domestic abuse, and sentenced him to six years of jail, starting immediately. The judge tapped the gavel on a sound block, signifying the closure of the case.

Outside the court, Maki sat down on a bench as Nico passed her a bottle of water. Nico patted her girlfriend on the shoulder, "You did well today. You're the bravest woman I know. You told the judge about that abusive son of a bitch. Be proud of yourself."

Maki looked away, "Somehow, I still feel guilty. I don't think I should've sued him in court. Sure, he did all those bad things to me. However, he's my father, after all. And I..." She then looked down. Nico held her hands, "Maki-chan, you did the right thing. You voiced out your abuse. Now, you're no longer under him. You don't have to be scared of him anymore. His evil deeds are exposed, because you stood up for yourself. That's really admirable. I'm really proud of you, Maki-chan."

"Thank you, Nico-chan." Maki smiled at her, "It means a lot coming from you."

"Oh yeah, what about your doctor job?" Nico questioned, "Are you still going to work in the hospital, or..." Maki let go of Nico's hands, stood up, and slowly walked to the garden nearby. Nico followed her.

"I've resigned." Maki replied, "I didn't want to stay there. Being a doctor isn't what I wanted to do anyways. I like being a musician, so when µ's reunited, I wanted to join it so badly. At first, my father was the one stopping me, pressuring me to be a doctor instead, thus I can't jump over. Now that he's in jail, I can safely join it. Well, there's another reason I wanted to join µ's." Nico looked at her curiously. 

Maki held Nico's hands and looked at her, "I want to be an idol with you. That's my lifelong dream. I know I haven't lived up to my word when I first promised you that. Right now, I'm not going to go back on my word..." She looked away and continued, "...Ugh, I can't believe I said something so embarrassing..." Nico gleefully smiled and hugged Maki. The latter patted her head and hugged her. 

* * *

After lunch, Umi and Hiroshi went to a café. She ordered a drink named 'HAPPY DAY SPECIAL'. It is a lemon sparkling juice, sprinkled by bite-sized pieces of different fruits, different shapes of small jelly, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream with a cherry on top of it. The straws are intertwined to form a shape of a heart.

"Wow, are we a couple yet?" Hiroshi asked with a cheeky smile, "Why does the straw look like a heart? I didn't know we're already dating." Umi immediately got flustered, "N...n...no, y...you got it all wrong, Hiroshi-chan! M...my friend recommended me this drink, and I f...found it nice, so I...I wanted to share it with you! T...there's no confession behind it!"

"Relax, Umi." He laughed, "I'm just joking with you. Don't take it so seriously, will you?" The two of them then talked about their lives while they ordered some cake to go along with the drink.

"...and there was this one time where Yosuke was bathing, singing, and dancing to Snow halation." Hiroshi said, "We were in the university hostel that time, and me and him shared a room. So, while he was in the shower, I wanted to prank him. I wanted to say a teacher came to check on us. So, I did that. He immediately stopped singing and I heard him a loud thud. I rushed to the toilet and saw him on the floor, groaning in pain. It turned out that he slipped and fell down while stopping halfway into the dance." Umi giggled.

"I didn't know Yosuke is such a big fan of us since the beginning." She uttered. He nodded his head, "He and his mother worked hard to survive and make a living. One of the things that kept him going on in life is µ's. He listens to your music all the time, and watches your dance videos. You girls gave him the motivation to live."

"You make it sound like µ's is some godly group." She replied, "We're just idols who love singing and dancing, and we want to make our fans happy."

"Actually, without you girls, I wouldn't get to manage an idol group, and I wouldn't have enjoyed living life quite well." Hiroshi leaned on his chair, "Thank you for appearing in my life, and for recommending me this drink. It sure is tasty."

Now, it is Umi's turn to say 'You're welcome' with a smile on her face. She feels happy talking to him. A feeling of joy and delight. For some reason, her heart always beats very fast when she talks to him. She thought that maybe she felt this way because she is excited to talk to him. He seems like a nice guy, after all.

After that small meal, Umi brought Hiroshi to the Ueno Park to ride the swan boats. She challenged Hiroshi to a boat race. He accepted it and raced against Umi to a destination. Umi won, and Hiroshi had to do a forfeit. She made him do the chicken dance, and she giggled a lot as he was doing it. 

They proceeded to go to the bookstore, where Umi wanted to pick out a book for her leisure reading. Hiroshi took a book he found out from the shelves and passed it to her. He recommended it to her as he had read it before and found it interesting. He offered to pay for it too. Umi smiled and thanked him.

* * *

Alan is in his office, calling someone on the phone. 

"You have a bunch of girls ready for me?" Alan asked, "You sure they are ready...you sure they are very good at what they're doing?...Alright, if you say so, send them straight to my office tomorrow. I'll find a way to pay them their salary." He then ended the call. 

"Hiroshi Oshiro, you're dead meat." He thought with an evil smile, "I'm going to overtake you very soon. I'll prove your worthlessness, and then I'll be seen as a better manager.”

* * *

Hanayo, Rin, Kotori, Eli, and Nozomi are in the arcade after lunch, enjoying themselves. Honoka didn't go with them as she told them she wasn't feeling well and wanted to be alone.

Yosuke just sat at the side, looking a bit sad. He didn't know Umi and Hiroshi had gone out together, and he felt a bit jealous. Kotori noticed Yosuke and went to him.

"What are you thinking about, Yosuke-chan?" She asked worriedly, "You look down. Is there anything I can help with? You don't have to hide it."

"It's nothing." Yosuke gave a fake smile, "I'm just thinking of something sad. I'm fine. Go and enjoy your time here."

"Something sad, huh?" She had a cheeky expression on her face, "I think I know what you're talking about. It's about Umi-chan's outing with Hiroshi-chan!"

Yosuke looked away from her, "It...it's not like I'm feeling jealous or anything! Don't get the wrong idea...Fine, I'm a bit jealous. They managed to hit it off so well with each other. Now they're even going out together. I never had an outing with her."

"From what I heard from Umi-chan when I asked her about it yesterday, she wanted to apologize to Hiroshi-chan for the harsh words she said on the day Honoka-chan went missing." Kotori explained, "She suggested an outing with him as a way to make up for her mistake."

"Still..." Yosuke sighed and rubbed his face with his hands. Kotori then teased him, "Are you sure you're a bit jealous? You look super jealous!"

"Yes, of course I'm jealous!" He exclaimed angrily, "My best friend is going on a date with my crush! How can I not feel anything?" Kotori is surprised upon hearing that, "Wait, you like Umi-chan? Romantically?"

Yosuke looked at her before looking down, "Is that not obvious enough? I will take a walk around the shopping mall. Call me when you're done." He then stood up and walked off.

Kotori watched as he went down the escalator and sighed.


	22. Friends Help Each Other

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains mature themes. You have been warned.

In the evening, Umi brought Hiroshi to a dōjō. 

"What is this place?" Hiroshi questioned, "And why did you bring me here? This place seems very traditional. It looks like a place for people to train some martial arts. I see bows and arrows too, so I assume archers train here too."

"This is a dōjō, Hiroshi-chan." Umi explained, "To be exact, this is my household's dōjō. My parents expected me to inherit this place because my older sister had moved out years ago. Hence, they trained me with the traditional practices and techniques. I like archery a lot, and I used to do archery in my free time. However, before you reformed µ's, I was so busy with office work I had no time for it. It really feels refreshing coming back here."

"You said your parents wanted you to inherit this place, but I'm sure it didn't happen." Hiroshi said, "What happened? Did they not pressure you anymore?"

Umi sighed, "I was completely occupied with µ's. Songwriting, creating some of the dance moves, coming up with exercises and diet plans for Honoka and Rin. I had totally no time for the dōjō. My father and I would often quarrel over this, and I felt annoyed. I don't like taking over the dōjō. I wanted to be with µ's. I wanted to sing and dance. Thus, we were always against each other. When I was twenty one, I moved out to have some freedom. Well, they should’ve probably found someone to take over the dōjō right now, so it'll be fine."

She took a rubber bow and some arrows, "Enough about me. We're not here to talk about my past. We're here to learn archery. Have you done it before?"

"Yeah, with a certain someone." He replied, "Like you, she likes archery. Every Saturday, she would invite me over to the archery centre, and I would go there to do some casual archery. Let me warn you first that I'm not good at all. In fact, I think I'm horrible at this, so I hope I can have some guidance from the one and only professional archer, Ms Umi Sonoda."

"Alright, I'll help you." She passed him the bow and an arrow, "You should show me how you shoot, so that I can gauge on what to teach you." He nodded his head and placed the arrow against the middle of the bowstring. He then pulled the arrow back and let it go. The arrow didn't travel far, and isn't even anywhere near the target. Umi chuckled upon the sight of that.

"Don't laugh at me." Hiroshi whined, "I already told you I sucked." Umi gradually stopped laughing and decided to help him, "Firstly, you need to be in the correct position to shoot. I will demonstrate it to you." She then moved her legs away from each other until they were a metre apart. 

"Secondly, you hold your bow up, and place the arrow notch on the bowstring." She pulled his right arm towards himself, which made Hiroshi blushed. Umi then told him to raise both hands slowly and steadily. She also said to him to draw the arrow to half its length. She gently pushed his right arm up to the top of his forehead. He blushed again, as Umi's face is closer to his than before. 

"Okay, now you pull the arrow all the way to the back." She uttered, "Aim the arrow at the 'X' spot in the middle of the target board. However, the release must be natural. You must feel confident releasing it, so that the arrow can make its mark. After that, you must maintain the position you are in now until the arrow hits the board."

Hiroshi listened and did what she had said and pulled the arrow back. Only when he aimed it at the middle of the board and was confident, he released it, maintaining the pose until it hit the target board. It didn't hit the 'X' mark, but Umi is nonetheless impressed.

"You almost got the middle spot. You're good. You are a fast learner, Hiroshi-chan." Umi smiled, "You pick up things at a very fast rate. Good job." Hiroshi came up with a response immediately, "It's because I got such a good teacher, showing me the ropes clearly and concisely."

Umi looked away shyly, "Hiroshi-chan, you flatter me."

**\--µ’s--**

During dinner, Umi and Hiroshi dine at a Chinese restaurant. He had suggested it to her as he found the food delicious. He had tried some of them when he was touring overseas as The Man.

He ordered a bowl of fried rice and hainanese chicken rice. He took two spoons and passed one to her, telling her to try it. She tasted the fried rice, and she found it delectable. He offered to take the chicken rice while she took the fried rice, and she agreed.

"So, Hiroshi-chan, did you enjoy the outing today?" She asked, "I hope that going to only four places today doesn't really make the outing look boring. I usually don't go to many places, thus I am unaware of some other places that are fascinating."

"The outing today was great, Umi." He replied, "Thank you for inviting me out today. For me, it's not about the places you bring me to, or what you wanted us to do. It's about the person I'm with, and that's you. You made it fun, interesting, and entertaining, so that's why I enjoyed the outing today."

"Aw, you're so sweet." Umi responded, "You made it fun too. Don't give me all the credit. If you didn't miss a shot at the dōjō, or challenged me to a boat race and do the chicken dance..." She then started laughing.

"C'mon." Hiroshi groaned, "Don't remind me about the chicken dance. I've embarrassed myself so much. People were staring at me weirdly as they walked by, as if I was some crazy maniac."

Umi slowly stopped laughing and composed herself, "I'm just happy you enjoyed the outing today. I hope to have more outings with you, Hiroshi-chan."

"Me too." He smiled at her. She smiled back at him. At that moment, she felt her heart thumping rapidly. Is this how it feels like to be excited talking to a man? Is this what happens when you're in love with him? She was still unsure of her feelings. 

* * *

Kotori and Yosuke decided to visit Honoka after their dinner. She did not reply to their texts or calls for the whole day. They've only heard from Yukiho that she locked herself in the room. 

Yosuke drove Kotori to Honoka's house and went into the Homura shop. Yukiho, who is at the cashier, walked to them with a worried face.

"Yukiho-chan, where's Honoka-chan?" Kotori asked, "Is she still in her room?"

"She's been in the room since the morning." Yukiho sighed, "She's so silent. She never stepped out of her room once. I called her for breakfast, lunch, and even dinner. No response. Nothing. I'm really worried for her. Her break up with that bastard really affected her so much. I was hoping you could talk some sense into her, and ask her to come out. Tell her to stop staying in her room all day. It's bad for her health."

"I'll try my best." Kotori then looked at Yosuke worriedly, "I really hope nothing bad happens to Honoka-chan." Yosuke held her shoulders, "Don't think too negatively. I'm sure she's fine. Let's get up quick." She nodded her head, and the three of them went up to Honoka's room. 

Kotori knocked on the door, "Honoka-chan? Are you there? Don't be in the room. Please come out and tell us what’s wrong. I know that you can't get over the break up. It's okay. You can talk to me, and tell me your problems. Please, open the door."

No response. 

"Honoka-chan?" Kotori called out again. Still nothing. Yosuke knocked the door this time before turning to the two women, "She ain't saying anything. I'm going to barge in. I'm afraid what I feared...might be true." Kotori understood what he had meant, and gulped.

Yosuke barged through the door, breaking the lock. Inside the room, they found Honoka unconscious. Her wrists looked like they have been cut, and there is still blood flowing out of it. There is urine around her too, and a knife. 

"Honoka-chan!" Kotori ran to Honoka and shook her body, "Wake up, please. I can't lose you! Don't scare me! Don't die on me please!" Yosuke quickly whipped his phone and called the ambulance. Yukiho prayed, hoping that her sister would be fine. 

* * *

Umi and Hiroshi are walking from the restaurant back to the carpark. They are on the sidewalk, talking about her family and the dōjō.

"Your father was a martial arts trainer, and your mother taught traditional Japanese dance?" He asked, "Then your sister's a banker overseas and you're a singer. Your family is really prestigious. It's really high-class."

"It really isn't." Umi retorted, "How do I phrase it? My parents and my sister were successful because they all did what they're good at doing. I'm like them. I like singing, dancing, and archery, so I'm good at them. Guess that's why I'm a Sonoda." 

Hiroshi let out a soft chuckle. Umi then questioned him, "So then, what does your family do? I mean...I don't want to force an answer out of you, so answer only if you are willing to."

Hiroshi nodded his head and was about to speak when he saw a Ford Mustang sped through them. He suddenly got reminded by the accident once again. 

'Come back, Hiroshi!' He could hear Posty's voice inside his head. He leaned against the wall beside him and grabbed his head in frustration. He closed his eyes and the scene played right before his face. 

"Hear me out, Hiroshi!" He heard Posty as he stormed across the road. He was furious. He didn't want to hear what Posty had to say. He just wanted to get away from Posty.

He then heard tires screeching and a loud bang. He turned around and saw Posty on the floor, unconscious and bleeding profusely. The vehicle that struck him was a Ford Mustang.

"Hiroshi-chan, are you okay?" Umi looked at him worriedly. Hiroshi rubbed his eyes. It seems like he is brought back to the present. He breathed in and out before talking, "I'm fine, Umi. I just remembered something from the old days. It's an old wound. Let's get back to the carpark and send you home. It's getting a bit late." He then walked off.

"But..." Umi is about to chase after him when Yosuke calls her. She answered the call, "Hey, Yosuke-chan. What's up? Do you need any help from me?"

"Umi-chan, Honoka-chan tried committing suicide by slitting her wrists, and we believe it's because she's depressed. Now she's in the hospital." Upon hearing that, Umi's eyes widened in pure shock, "Are you serious?"

"Yeah. You're one of her best friends, so I'm telling you this now." Yosuke replied. Umi told him he would visit her and ended the call. She ran to Hiroshi and held onto his shoulder when she caught up to him. He turned back and saw her.

"Please, Hiroshi-chan." Umi huffed, "Bring me to the hospital."

* * *

After a few minutes, Hiroshi reached the hospital. He got out of the car and opened the door of the passenger seat. Umi stepped out of the car.

"Are you not going to visit Honoka?" She asked. He kept quiet for a while, thinking about himself. Now that he's reverted back to his old self, he is worried that he might affect not just himself, but the others too. He didn't want the girls to worry about him, when they already have Honoka to worry about.

"I'm sorry. I won't stay." Hiroshi replied, "I got something to attend to. Just help me tell Honoka that I wish she would have a speedy recovery."

"Alright." She then hugged him, "Thank you so much for today, Hiroshi-chan. I really had fun today." He smiled and patted her head, "Thank you too."

Yosuke, who was in the hospital lobby, saw them hugging outside. He got jealous immediately. His crush is hugging his best friend. Why would he feel good about that? Umi then let go and waved goodbye to Hiroshi. He did the same before he got into his car and drove off. Umi ran into the hospital and saw Yosuke.

"Yosuke-chan, where is Honoka-chan?" Umi queried. He turned around and led the way. As they were on the way to the ward, Yosuke looked devastated for a while, but he grinned at her when she looked at him. He hid his true expressions from her, so that she wouldn't notice.

After an hour, Honoka woke up. She realized she was lying on the hospital bed. There's no one else in the ward. She looked at her wrists and was immediately reminded of the pain she went through this morning. Just then, she heard noises outside the ward. The rest of µ's with Yosuke came to the ward, and saw that Honoka was awake. Umi passed her stuff to Kotori and rushed to Honoka.

"Honoka, do you know how worried we were when we heard you tried to take your own life?!" Umi screamed at her, "Why did you even do such a stupid thing?! What were you thinking?! What will happen to µ's if you die?! What will happen to us if you die?!" There was a moment of silence before she hugged Honoka and started crying.

Honoka looked down, "I'm sorry for making you all worried. I am the leader of this group, yet..." She gripped the blanket tightly, but Eli tapped her shoulder.

"We understand you're going through a tough time." She told Honoka, "Getting cheated on by someone you deeply loved isn't something to be forgotten easily. We will always be here to support you, Honoka."

"That's right, Honoka-chan." Kotori added on, "Don't keep everything to yourself. Don't bottle up those feelings. You have us. µ's, Yosuke-chan, Hiroshi-chan, Yukiho-chan, and your parents. You can open up to us."

"Even though you're our leader, you shouldn't try to act strong, nya~" Rin remarked, "We all have our darkest moments in life. It's okay to cry it out loud when you can't take it. We're humans after all. We have emotions, nya~"

"We can get through it together." Nico said, "We've gone through a lot, yet nothing ever brought us down. Be it rival idol groups, unfavorable weathers, or even the recent incidents, we overcame every obstacle that was thrown at us."

Honoka looked at everyone in the room before bowing her head down, "Thank you for the kind words of encouragement, girls. Thanks for wanting to help me. I am really grateful to have friends like you guys." The members of µ's then got into a group hug, and Yosuke stood at the side, smiling at them.

* * *

In Hiroshi's room, he sat down on the bed after bathing. He realized he had became his old self again. Anything that's related to the accident triggers him to think about it. It can be the same car, the place where it happened, the sounds of tires screeching, or even through speech. With all these giving him a headache already, he will still dream about the accident every night. It's going to be a hard time for him again, just like how it was three years ago.

He reminisced about that one time, when Posty was still alive. Hiroshi wanted to start a music career. He had looked up to Posty as he was a successful singer, and had a lot of hit songs that made it to the top of the charts. He wanted to be like Posty.

_ "How did you come up with the ideas to write? How did you compose all those songs?" A seventeen year old Hiroshi asked, "How did you make singing about your feelings sound so cool? Please teach me! I want to be a successful melodic singer like you!  _

_ Posty is surprised, "What made you wanna pursue singing then?" Hiroshi looked at him, "I like music and singing a lot, and I sing a different song everyday. It makes me really happy on a sad day. When I see musicians like you perform their songs live on stage, they look so glorious, and they sound so nice! It's pleasing to the ears! It makes your fans happy too! I hope through my singing and songs, everyone will enjoy it, relate to it, and make them forget about their worries and troubles!" _

_ Posty patted his shoulder, "Alright, since you sound so interested, I shall teach you the ropes. Listen carefully, because every single detail I'm about to tell you is extremely important." _

Hiroshi nodded his head and smiled at him. Back to the present, Hiroshi lied down on his bed and sighed. He sure does miss Posty, and also feels very guilty for his death. He wonders how he'll continue to hide this accident from the girls as he will accidentally reveal it through his actions one day.

* * *

The next day, Alan went to a mysterious person’s house and knocked on the door. A woman opened the door and looked at him, "Are you Alan Turner-san?" He nodded his head, and she let him in.

She brought him to the living room and there, three other women were sitting on the sofa. She then turned to him, "We'll just call you Alan-san. We are the girl group Perfect. I am Jade, the leader. The other three are Momo, Sora, and Mina. We heard you want to manage a girl group. We are also looking for a manager, so I guess you can say we both have achieved our goals."

Alan nodded his head before sticking out his hand, "To a successful partnership with you." Jade shook his hand and grinned at him. 

"You're dead, Hiroshi Oshiro." He thought, "I'll definitely beat you. I'll show the girls in µ's that I'm the better manager. I'll take care of the people under me more than you ever will do. Perfect is the group that had a lot of hit singles and was famous while µ's was gone. I just need to promote their new single and get them famous. Hanayo-chan and the girls will then see me as a better manager, and they'll leave you after that." He rubbed his hands as he smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been receiving comments that depict a certain person in my fic in my last two chapters. I'm pretty sure it's the same person who used guest account to comment. 
> 
> To that person, this is a SFW fiction, and I have no means of writing NSFW. HOWEVER, if you really love to write those type of stuff, come check out the Discord server [Idol Fanfic Hell](https://discord.gg/R43Vc3X). You definitely can write lots of NSFW stuff there with very limited limits. Good luck.


	23. It's The Effort That Counts

Hiroshi woke up sweating. He had just dreamt of the same dream again. Thus, he couldn't get a lot of sleep. He groaned as he dragged himself out of bed and washed his face. Even though his face feels fresh now, he feels so sleepy. He proceeded to take a bath afterwards. 

He planned to visit Honoka in the hospital today, since he did not do so the previous day. He couldn't drive there as he's scared he would get into an accident due to him being tired. He decided to take a taxi there.

Once he reached there, he walked to Honoka's ward and opened the door. She is on the bed, looking up at the ceiling. He took a chair and sat beside her.

"What's so nice about the ceiling?" He questioned. She immediately sat up on the bed and pouted at him, "You're here, Hiroshi-chan. You're so bad. You didn't visit me yesterday. Even Umi-chan was here. If she came, why didn't you?"

"I went back to my old life," He replied. "Every small thing reminds me of the accident. I know that you knew about it, but I don't want the other girls to know about it, and then worry about it. Your songwriting sessions for the album are coming soon, so I want them to fully concentrate on that."

"You can't hide it forever, Hiroshi-chan," She responded. "You'll give yourself away sooner or later. Your condition can act up anytime. Are you sure you can hide that?"

"I'll try. At most I'll lie to the others. Enough talk about me. How are you? I know you're not over your ex. What happened?"

Honoka sighed, "I met his mistress at a party I went to. Seeing him with her already made me devastated, but she went on to insult me continuously. At that point, I just felt worthless. All I did was shower him with love, but yet I couldn't keep him. He left me for another woman. Am I just not good enough? Does anyone find me a nuisance because I cling onto them too much? Should I change myself?"

"Honoka, you're a good woman." Hiroshi patted her shoulder, "You are a very kind, loving, and pretty woman. You're not a nuisance. Everyone loves your positive and upbeat personality. Be yourself. It's not your fault that he left you. He didn't treasure you at all, and he's going to regret it one day. Karma will strike him. You really are a great person, Honoka. I hope you don't continuously beat yourself down because of this. He's not worth your tears, and you shouldn't commit suicide because of him. Your life matters. Your friends still care for you. I care for you too."

"Thanks for the encouragement, Hiroshi-chan." Honoka grinned, "I'm glad you see me this way. I really want to thank you for allowing me to confide in you. You know, what you said to me can be applied to you too. I'm sure it's not your fault Posty died. You shouldn't beat yourself down because of it too."

Hiroshi stood up, "You're using my words against me, huh? Well, yours and mine are two different cases. Besides, mine's not that simple as it is. I'm sure you know exactly why, so it's strange why you're telling me that. Let's end this topic here. I'll go get some breakfast. I haven't eaten at all. Do you want anything?" She shook her head in response.

He then left the ward as Honoka thought, "You don't want to admit it, don't you?"

**\--µ’s--**

An hour later, Honoka is discharged from the hospital. Hiroshi decided to make the songwriting session the next day instead to accompany Honoka. He didn't want her to do anything dangerous.

"Are you sure you don't have anything else to do?" Honoka asked. 

"Do I look like I have anything better to do?" He retorted, "Look here. I'm going to be with you for today. I'm going to watch your every move today, so don't try to do anything foolish again. I'm your manager, and it's my responsibility to make sure you're fine and well."

Honoka tried talking back, but she couldn't outtalk him. Knowing she couldn't win him, she gave up and allowed him to follow her for today only. He drove her back home and went to her room with her.

"You're really...committed to this, aren't you?" She teased him. Hiroshi nodded his head, to which she smiled.

"Thank you for caring for me." Honoka said.

"The others would be coming in the afternoon to have some lunch with you." He told her, "Right now, they're doing some exercises with Yosuke. They are required to keep in shape since they're going to do new music videos for their future songs."

"Why don't I join them?" She asked excitedly, "I do want to exercise!" He shook his head, "You just recovered, Ms Kosaka. You are supposed to rest for your wounds to heal."

Honoka sighed, "It's going to be boring if we just sit here and stare at each other. What are we supposed to do?" 

Hiroshi looked at her, "You and I...we're similar. I know you have burning questions about my life. Shoot those questions, and I'll tell you everything about it."

* * *

At the local Kanada Shrine, the rest of µ's and Yosuke are doing stretches as Umi led the exercise. They are trying to use their hands to reach their toes while sitting with a straight back. She, Kotori, and Eli are able to do it, while the rest struggle. Hanayo asked if Honoka is coming back the next day, and Kotori answered it with a 'yes'.

"I wonder how she's doing right now." Nozomi said worriedly, "I hope she's not too affected over her ex. I wish she's okay right now. I really can't imagine a µ's without Honoka-chan."

"Hiroshi said he's with Honoka now, and he suggested to me that we could go over to her house for lunch." Eli talked, "Right now, he asked us to think of ways to help her."

"Maybe we can do a revenge prank on her bastard ex." Nico had an evil smile plastered on her face, "He should suffer the consequences of hurting Honoka and finding another woman while he's with her. How about we splash paint on his house? Make him know if he messes with her, he messes with us too." Maki immediately slapped her back, causing her to whine in pain.

"That's a very stupid idea, Nico-chan." Maki told her girlfriend sternly, "Are you trying to get us into trouble with the police? We're idols, not loan sharks."

"We can buy her lots of bread to cheer her up, nya~" Rin proposed, "She loves bread so much. She will be overjoyed when she eats them, nya~!"

Umi shook her head, "I'm not trying to get her fat, Rin."

"Comforting is the best way, I guess." Eli spoke out, "We want her to feel that she has support from every one of us, and that she's not going to face this alone. I think we can bring her out to enjoy maybe sometime soon. We brought her out once, and it was quite successful, so we can do it again. Perhaps we can all go to the amusement park."

"I second that." Yosuke added on, "If she's having fun, she won't be thinking about it too much. Then it won't affect her as much. Besides, we can also keep an eye on her to make sure she's alright. We can cheer her up." Nico suggested some exciting and enjoyable rides they could go on. The rest are pleased with the idea and nodded their heads in agreement. 

"We can arrange a date later." Nozomi smiled. All of them then proceeded to stand up and started jogging according to the normal route they always take for exercising. 

* * *

In an office room, an old man is reading some files. He is listening to some calm music on his phone as he whistles. This is Patrick Turner, CEO of the company Alan is working in, and also his father. A strict, unrelenting, hardworking man. He is one of the most well-known businessmen in the industry for being very cunning. Once, he clinched a deal with a famous clothing brand with just his words. He's very skillful in doing businesses.

The only problem he has, however, is convincing his son to take over this mall. For years, they have constantly quarreled over the ownership of it. He wants his son to take over, but Alan doesn't. He told his father he wanted to pursue a singing career, and Patrick thought that is really a stupid thing. No matter how he talked, Alan didn't budge.

While he is trying to think of a new way, a man knocked on his door, "Boss, here are the accounts you are asking for." He allowed the man to come in and give the file to him. As Patrick is flipping through it, he realized some money has been taken out by an unknown source. He told the man to come back and told him to find out who the culprit might be. The man nodded his head and went out of the office.

"I swear, if I ever find that person who stole the company's money, I'm going to make sure he's going to have a hard life in prison." Patrick thought angrily. 

Alan is paying the members of Perfect their salary. His friend, who is the one who introduced him to them, is curious about how he got so much money to pay them. Their salaries are not even cheap in the slightest, and Alan surprisingly had the money to pay not one, but all of the members. 

"How did you get all this money, Alan?" His friend questioned, "Are these your life savings or something?" Alan just laughed, "I got my own ways of making money. I told you, Mack. I'm a genius. I'm capable of getting money in the fastest way possible. Don't worry about it." Alan then arranged a date with the Perfect members to meet up again before leaving. Mack looked at the man with doubt.

* * *

During lunch, the other members of µ's and Yosuke visited Honoka and Hiroshi after their exercise. While Kotori, Nico, and Hanayo went to cook lunch for everyone, the rest gathered around the dining table.

Rin questioned Honoka if she was feeling better. Eli told her about the outing to the amusement park, and asked her if she has a free day to spare. 

Honoka smiled at all of them, "Thank you for caring for me, everyone. You are all asking me about my well being and planning to bring me out...I really appreciate it. I really think I'm fine, so I'll pass on the outing."

"You can treat it as a group outing." Nozomi said, "We ought to have a little fun, don't we? Besides, not all of us went for the picnic. Maki-chan, Nico-chi, and Yosuke-chan are not around that time, so you can regard it as a µ's outing. Surely you won't reject that, will you?"

Honoka nodded her head and agreed, "Alright. We can do that. We can discuss the date later, when everyone's here. Right now, Kotori-chan, Nico-chan, and Hanayo-chan are cooking, so let's wait for a while before we talk about the date."

When Yosuke asked the girls on the songwriting of their new songs and next album, Maki told him that they haven't started on anything yet except the exercises. Eli added that they will start brainstorming for song ideas either the next day or the day after. Hiroshi offered to help them, and said that they can call him anytime to ask for their help. Soon, Kotori, Nico, and Hanayo came out with the dishes and rice cooker, and everyone said 'itadakimasu' before eating.

\-----

After lunch, Hiroshi is getting ready to leave. He needed to do some songwriting for his own music too. He wants to release an album by the end of the year. Maybe before he turns insane thanks to the incident. 

Just then, Umi skipped towards him. He saw it, and smiled at her, "You're looking for me?" Umi nodded her head, "I thought of nice places to bring you to for our next outing. We can go on a hike in the morning. I know of a small mountain, and we can hike up there while we enjoy the scenery and nature. Once we reached the top, we would be able to see the clear, blue, and beautiful skies while we lie on the big, empty patch of grass. We can then go to this restaurant, recommended by my university friends because they have delicious katsu rice. We can catch a movie afterwards, and we can visit the Sumida Aquarium. We can look at all the different species of marine animals there while having dinner at the aquarium café."

"You really got everything sorted out, didn't you?" He asked. 

"I tend to plan because we won't have to think on the spot on where we wanna go." She retorted, "It wastes time."

"So, when is this outing?" He questioned, "I need to check if I'm free on that day." After Umi told him it would be two days later, he immediately rejected it, "I'm hanging out with Kotori on that day."

"H...huh?"

Hiroshi bowed down, "I'm sorry I couldn't attend it. I promise I'll go out with you another day. We can arrange it at a later time. I assure you I will definitely go out with you again."

"I...it's okay, Hiroshi-chan!" Umi replied, "It's not your fault you can't make it. You already promised Kotori to be with her for the day. I can't just come in and impose on you guys. Besides, the fact that you have the intention to rearrange a date for our second outing already made me happy. You don't really have to do it if you're not free."

"I have to, and I will." He responded, "Believe me when I say I want to go out with you again. It's fun being with you. I'll text you again about the free days." As he was about to walk off, he turned back and called Umi out. She turned to look at him.

"Thanks for being so understanding, Umi." He smiled at her before going off. She leaned against the wall and sighed. Once again, her plans are foiled. It is already sad that he isn't free to go out with her, but the reason he's not free makes her even more depressed. 

She's jealous. She just wants Hiroshi all to herself. She doesn't want anyone else to go out with him. Whenever she's around him, her heart flutters for no reason. She feels secure around him. She feels sheer bliss together with him. She keeps thinking about him too. Is this how love feels like? She could answer that question right now. She can say, without a doubt, that she has fallen in love with Hiroshi Oshiro. She didn't know how it got to that point, but she now has feelings for him. Yosuke looked at Umi from the side of the living room, revealing that he has been listening this whole time.

* * *

For the rest of the afternoon, he is in his music studio, writing lyrics and texting music producers for beats. He planned to make a contemporary rhythm and blues album. He worked on the rhythm of the song, the choice of words for the lyrics, and the way it should be sang out. He also asked Abel for some advice on songwriting. 

After four hours, he decided to take a break. He felt very tired from thinking a lot, so he just wanted to kick back and relax. As he is scrolling through his social media feed, he received a call from an unknown number. He looked strangely at it and ignored it the first time. However, he got a call by the same person again.

Irritated, he declined the call this time and placed his phone aside before glaring at it. He told himself that if the same person called one more time, he would answer the call and tell the caller to shut up before blocking his number.

Sure enough, his phone rang. Hiroshi snatched it and answered the call, "Stop calling me, you little..."

"Hiroshi? It's me. Mr Turner." Patrick is on the other line. 

Hiroshi is surprised, "The father of the jerk? Wow, I've never expected you to even call me. Why did you call me?"

"Well, I wanted to talk to you about something, and I wanna meet you guys. See how you're doing." Patrick replied, "Just a little catch-up, you know."

"I don't think we need a meeting, and we can just talk through the phone." Hiroshi answered, "Besides, what is there to talk about? We literally have no connection. Your son has given me enough trouble. I do not wish that his father would give me more bullshit."

"Just give me fifteen minutes." Patrick retorted, "Fifteen minutes of your life. Walk to the restaurant, we will meet up, and I'll talk all that I need to talk about. If you're not interested by then, you can walk off. I'll even pay for your dinner. Please."

Hiroshi sighed, "Send me the location."

* * *

In the hospital, Rin and Hanayo stood outside the latter's mother ward. She is still unconscious even after so many months. Even though now Hanayo has the money to pay the hospital bills, nothing has changed since the beginning of her mother's coma. Hanayo sniffled.

Rin noticed the sad look on Hanayo and patted her shoulder, "Your mother's going to be alright, Kayo-chin. She's such a strong woman. She will get over this safely." Hanayo cleared her tears and gave her best friend a weak smile, "Thank you, Rin-chan. By the way, how's your father? Is he okay now?"

"He's great now, nya~." Rin said, "I got to thank Peter-chan for helping me a lot. He's really patient with my father, and my father loves him a lot. He's very friendly to me too, and he is pretty handsome. I'm glad Hiroshi-chan has found such a great helper, nya~"

"You really seem to like him as a friend, don't you?" Hanayo teased her, "Maybe you can get closer to him. Who knows what kind of relationship you two might develop in the future?"

"Don't talk nonsense, nya~" Rin whined before both of them laughed.

* * *

Meanwhile, Yosuke, Eli, and Nozomi are eating dinner together in a food centre. Umi and Kotori have decided to accompany Honoka. Nozomi had overheard Yosuke's conversation with Kotori at the arcade two days ago, and she has thought about it for quite a long time. She wanted to know if what she heard is true.

"Nozomi-chan, are you okay?" He asked her, "You have been looking so restless ever since we left Honoka-chan's house. What are you thinking about?"

"Nozomi, if you're facing any problems, you can tell any one of us." Eli told her, "I hope you don't keep it to yourself and suffer it on your own. It's bad to keep it inside."

"Guys, it's nothing serious." Nozomi responded, "Don't worry about me too much. I'm just curious about something. Yosuke-chan, you do like someone, right?"

"M...me?" He asked, "Nah. I don't..."

"Quit lying, Yosuke-chan." She cheekily smiled, "You like her, don't you? You have a big crush on her."

"Nozomi, what are you talking about?" Eli questioned.

"You must be mistaken." Yosuke replied, "I do not have..."

"Your conversation with Kotori-chan outside the arcade...I heard it." Nozomi looked at him, "You like Umi-chan, right?" Eli looked at him surprisingly.

"I..." Yosuke is at a loss for words, "Are you planning to spread that out? Because if you do, I have to hide myself from the whole world."

"Oh, no worries." Nozomi giggled, "I won't. I don't find it surprising for you to like her romantically. You're such a big fan of her, after all. In that case, aren't you making the first move?"

"Do you think I could do all that?" He whined in frustration, "After what has been done? After I..." He then looked somewhere else, and looked like he was about to cry.

"What's wrong?" Eli is curious, "Why won't you make the first move and talk to her more? You haven't even tried it yet, and you're already giving up? Don't be beaten down so easily. I'm sure if you put in enough effort, she will realize it and fall for you."

"If you need any advice, you can always come to me and my trusted deck of tarot cards." Nozomi added on, "They'll be sure to give you good luck."

"Did you girls not know about it?" Yosuke asked, "Umi-chan took Hiroshi-san out a few days ago. I also overheard that she had asked him out again, but got rejected by him. She looked really sad. I feel that...she has feelings for Hiroshi."

Eli and Nozomi stared at him with shock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a lighter chapter than the previous one yay!
> 
> Join the [Idol Fanfic Heaven](https://discord.gg/CaqureT)! It is a Love Live fanfic server but it's safe for work and it's very pure! Any age can join the server, so come on down! But if you love writing NSFW (looking at the guest who's about to come up with some long paragraph again), go to our parent server [Idol Fanfic Hell](https://discord.gg/R43Vc3X) where NSFW and SFW are written! 
> 
> Also, me and four other people from Idol Fanfic Hell have started a podcast! You can hear it [here](https://anchor.fm/idolfanfichellpodcast)!


	24. A New Enemy Appears

Patrick pulled up the sleeves of his suit and looked at his watch. It is currently fifteen minutes past seven in the night. Hiroshi should be here by now, he thought. He wondered how he's going to talk about the topic. 

Hiroshi then arrived at the restaurant and went to Patrick's table. He sat down opposite of the businessman and ordered a drink.

"Not ordering food, huh?" Patrick asked, "I'm treating you, and you still didn't want dinner." 

Hiroshi turned and glared at him, "I already told you. I don't have so much time to be sitting down here, hearing your grandfather's story. Tell me what you want to tell me. And be quick. I don't want to waste my time, neither do I want to waste yours."

"Alright, relax, young man." Patrick sighed before passing him a file, "This file contains my company's accounts."

"Why are you giving it to me?" Hiroshi questioned, "Shouldn't this be kept to yourself or your accountant? Why do you think I'd be interested in your stupid mall's crap?"

"I want you to look at the amount that was withdrawn two days ago." Patrick pointed to a line for Hiroshi to see. Upon closer inspection, Hiroshi is stunned.

"Shocking, ain't it?" The boss sighed, "Forty four million yen taken out of my accounts. And I don't know who the hell took that large sum of money out. I thought my safe room, no pun intended, is safe, because there's a password only the high ranks know. I didn't place any cameras there."

Hiroshi shook his head in disappointment. He is just dumbfounded on why a dumb guy like Patrick would not place a surveillance camera in the safe room. 

"But..." Patrick continued, "One of my workers told me he saw Alan walking into the safe room. Although he's my son, and I should not suspect a family member, I feel that he's somehow related to the withdrawal. Since you're so anal about him, did you know if he's doing anything that requires money?"

"Excuse me, Mr Turner." Hiroshi said in an offensive tone, "I'm not his stalker. I don't give one single damn about that bastard. Besides, you're his father. Shouldn't you be the one who's supposed to be looking after him and knows about what the hell he's doing? This shows me what kind of father you are." He then gulped the rest of the drink and went out of the restaurant.

He was driving his car towards the small apartment when he passed his old house. He looks at the roads and is reminded about the accident. He can hear the tires screeching. The sound of Posty getting knocked over. The crying of the woman at the scene. 

_ You caused his death. It's your fault Hisashi died! _

Hiroshi let go of the steering wheel, grabbed his head in frustration, and closed his eyes as he screamed in agony. He had never felt such immense, mental pain since three years ago. It's all coming back now. The guilt he has been trying to run away from these past three years is now back to haunt him.

Suddenly, he heard someone horning. He opened his eyes and realized he just went past a red light. He stepped on the break as hard as he could and looked at the front with horror. His car is about to collide with a truck. He squeezed his eyes shut and prayed for his safety.

**\--µ's--**

The next morning, the girls gathered in Hiroshi's music studio, ready to record their next song. Everyone is present except Hiroshi, who is nowhere to be found. 

"Where's Hiroshi-chan?" Umi asked worriedly.

Yosuke shrugged his shoulders, "God knows where the hell he has been. He hasn't answered my calls or texts since last night." He sounded annoyed when he said that, and only Eli and Nozomi knew why.

Honoka cleared her throat, "Let's start now. We will write our lyrics and record some vocals and harmonies for our new song. If time permits, we'll discuss the themes we want in our comeback album." Everybody nodded and started brainstorming about ideas for their new song. Yosuke suggested some lyrics. 

As soon as Umi stepped into the recording booth to record her verse, Eli and Nozomi were looking at her before discussing among themselves. Umi is confused as to why the two were staring at her for a brief period of time.

After she is done with the recording, she walks towards the couch. As she is about to sit down, Eli calls out for her. She looked at the blonde and Nozomi as they went to her.

"Umi, do you mind if we could talk to you for a while?" Eli asked. Umi nodded her head. They proceeded to go out of the studio and talk. When Eli told her about what Yosuke had said last night, she was surprised.

"I just want to know if you really thought that way." Eli said, "I don't know how to ask this in a nice way, so I'll just be blunt. Do you like Hiroshi, or have any feelings for him?" 

Umi looked at them, unsure of what to say. She didn't want to speak the truth out, yet she didn't want to hide it from them. She's scared if everyone knows, word will spread around, and Hiroshi would know about it. He will then ignore her, and it will be very awkward between them. She wants to avoid them, She wouldn't want to screw up since this is her first time liking someone. She hoped it would succeed.

"Nope, no such thing." She lied, "Maybe Yosuke-chan is spurting nonsense. He likes to joke around, after all. You girls know me. I'm not the type to like romance. In fact, I find it embarrassing."

"No worries, Umi. Don't get so tensed up." Eli said politely, "We're just asking you. You know, sometimes, Yosuke can be thinking...just a bit too much. He might have misunderstood you, so we hope you can forgive him if that's the case."

"Sure, sure. No one is perfect."

* * *

During lunchtime, Honoka, Kotori, and Umi are in a food centre, eating their lunch. They are arranging a date for µ's to watch a romance movie. Earlier on, during the songwriting session, they all have decided their new song is going to be a love song. 

"Speaking about romance, Umi-chan, are you sure you can handle that?" Honoka asked, "You don't like it at all. Are you going to be comfortable with it?"

"I...I mean it's time I should learn how to take it in." Umi reasoned, "Since we are going to do a love song, I can't just burden the whole team because I find romance embarrassing. I'm slowly adapting to it."

"I'm surprised, Umi-chan." Kotori commented, "Usually, you'd be so against the idea of anything related to romance. You'd tell us about how you don't like that genre, and how people shouldn't be making out in public. Now, you're okay with it. What's with the sudden change of mind? Are you okay, Umi-chan? Are you having a fever?" She touched Umi's forehead.

"I guess you can say someone changed my perspective on it." Umi said shyly before whispering to herself, "Maybe it's great to fall in love."

"What did you say?" Honoka questioned. Umi shook her head and excused herself to the toilet. Honoka then looked at Kotori, "Don't you feel Umi-chan's acting a bit weird today? We have to plead with her to watch a romance movie with us last time, but now she's fine with that. She also said that someone changed her perspective. Does that mean..."

"...Umi-chan likes someone?" Kotori finished the sentence, "This is the very first time she's ever liked someone. I really hope she finds someone that can treat her well."

"Me too." Honoka smiled, "It would be awesome to see Umi having a boyfriend. Oh yeah, had Hiroshi-chan contacted you, Kotori-chan? He didn't reply to my texts or calls."

"Mine too." Kotori checked her phone, "He's been uncontactable since this morning. Could something have happened to him at all?"

"I wish that's not the case." Honoka then tried calling Hiroshi once more, but he didn't pick up. At the same time, Umi returned from the toilet. As soon as she sat down, Honoka received a call from a hospital. 

Honoka answered the call while the other two looked at her intensely, waiting for any news of Hiroshi. After she hung up a few seconds later, she sighed. Kotori asked her why she looked so dreaded, and she replied that Hiroshi got into a car accident the previous night, and he is in the hospital now. Upon hearing that, Umi became super worried. Her heart is beating so fast that it might just explode. She stood up and told her two friends to quickly follow her to the hospital.

On the way there, Umi tried to calm herself down and told herself that Hiroshi would be fine. However, that made her more worried than ever. What happened if Hiroshi had gotten into a serious car accident? Is he even okay? Is he unconscious now or dead? No. She couldn't imagine what would happen to her if he had died. She would be devastated. She prayed he would be in one piece.

When they reached the hospital, they rushed to Hiroshi's ward. He is sitting up on the bed, with bandages wrapped around his head. Umi ran to Hiroshi and hugged him while speaking in a quivering tone, "Thank goodness you're alright. I...I was so worried when I heard you got into a car accident. I thought it...it was a fatal one. I...I was scared I wouldn't be able to see you again..."

"Umi, stop exaggerating." Hiroshi gently said to her as he patted her head, "It's just a small car accident. It's nothing big. Look at me. I'm fine now." Kotori and Honoka looked at Umi before looking at each other. Both of them nodded their heads.

"But why did the hospital staff tell us now about your accident, Hiroshi-chan?" Honoka asked, "Since you got into it yesterday, why are we only informed about it today? And you didn't tell Yosuke-chan at all?"

"I told them to tell you today." Hiroshi responded, "I wanted to rest well first before asking you girls to come. I did try to call Yosuke. He didn't pick the phone up. I wonder what's up with him. He'd usually answer them at any time."

A few minutes later, Honoka and Kotori pulled Umi out. 

"Umi-chan, you said that someone changed your perspective of romance when you had lunch with us." Kotori said, "Is that someone Hiroshi-chan?"

"So what if it's him?" Umi questioned, "I don't see that as a problem."

"Nobody in µ's has managed to convince you before to believe in romance." Honoka retorted, "But then Hiroshi-chan managed to do it by some magic. You like him, right?"

Umi raised her eyebrows, "I beg your pardon?"

"The reason you believe in romance is because you like him." Honoka repeated in a more cheeky way, "He must have treated you in some way that you fell for him. Am I right, Umi-chan?"

Umi sighed, "Yes. I like Hiroshi-chan. He's very gentlemanly, and he's kind and friendly too. I feel joyous when I'm with him. My heart flutters when I'm around him. I constantly think about him, and sometimes I imagine that me and him are together, sharing a kiss by the seaside. I know it should sound disgusting to me, but right now I think that's actually pretty good. He made me believe in romance. He made me think romance can be such a blessing. I'll be checking up on him, so I'll be going back into the ward."

She then skipped back into Hiroshi's ward. Kotori sighed, "Yosuke-chan's not going to like this if he had ever heard what Umi-chan had just said."

"Yosuke-chan?" Honoka asked curiously, "How is he related to Umi-chan confessing her love for Hiroshi-chan?"

"Right, you didn't know." Kotori said, "Don't tell anyone else about this. Yosuke-chan likes Umi-san. Romantically." Upon hearing that, the leader of µ's got a shock. Kotori nodded her head, "I'll go to the toilet first. I'll be back here later." She then rushed off. 

In the toilet, Kotori washed her face and looked at her reflection in the mirror. She should feel happy that Umi has finally liked someone. Her best friend has finally believed in love. It's a breakthrough. However, somehow, she feels...conflicted. She feels elated for Umi, but at the same time, she feels upset.

"Hiroshi-chan won't pick Umi-chan, will he?" She muttered to herself uncertainly. She laid her back against the wall beside her and looked up at the ceiling.

**\-----**

At night, Yosuke decided to pay Hiroshi a visit in the latter's ward. The former closed the door before looking at Hiroshi, "I'm sorry I didn't answer your calls. I was...busy. Honoka-chan has told the rest about your hospitalization. Are you okay, Hiroshi?"

"I'm great. Thanks for asking."

"Don't mind me, Hiroshi, but I want to ask you about something." Yosuke turned to the windows, "A few questions actually. About your...outing with Umi-chan, to be exact."

"I think I have the answer to your questions even before you say it." Hiroshi said, "Yes, she invited me out. We went out together for a whole day. And no, it is not a date. It is just a normal outing as friends. There's nothing going on between me and your favorite idol. You get that?"

Yosuke nodded his head in satisfaction with that answer, "I'm relieved by that. I'm just worried of what the other girls will think of you if you were to date someone from µ's. I heard you rejected her when she invited you out the second time because you were busy."

"You eavesdropped on my conversation with her? That's a bit dirty, Yosuke." 

"Well, I had to, just in case you liked Umi-chan too." He thought angrily, "I won't have you as my love rival." He then cleared his throat and responded, "I would say...I just happened to hear it. By the way, you told me Turner-san went to find you?"

"Apparently, his workers said Alan has stolen most of the money from his own company's accounts for something." Hiroshi responded, "Patrick thinks Alan's up to something. So far, I can't find anything."

"Alan really did a lot of bad shit, but I've never heard of him stealing the company's funds." Yosuke shook his head, "He never dared to do anything illegal. I'm surprised he's taking the risk."

"Why are you surprised?" Hiroshi crossed his arms, "He has done worse things before. To me, especially." 

* * *

The next morning, Kotori came to the hospital to pick him up. She brought him to her place and served him a cup of tea. They talked about their lives while they munch on some of the delicacies bought by her mother. Kotori told him about her previous job as a fashion manager and the difficulties she faced. Hiroshi conversed about his high school days, when he suffered through studying, and got really bad grades before Yosuke decided to help him, and a few embarrassing incidents, which Kotori laughed at.

"There's this one question I've been burning to ask you, Hiroshi-chan." Kotori looked at him, "How did you meet Yosuke-chan? Were you in the same university or something?" 

Hiroshi chuckled, "Do we really look like we're from the same university class? We aren't, actually. Yosuke was friends with my brother. They were in the same class, and let's just say that they got off the wrong foot on their first meeting. They weren't seeing eye to eye on everything, until they found out they each loved µ's and their songs. They became the best of friends after that."

"Both of them loved µ's? So that means..."

"That's right. I formed µ's not just because I liked your music. I formed it to honor my brother. He's long gone, but he's always in my heart. I want to make his lifelong dream come true. That is to reunite µ's."

"You're such a good brother, and a good manager." Kotori smiled at him, "Thank you for managing µ's very well, Hiroshi-chan." At this moment, he stared at her. Her smile...it is so pretty and dazzling. Her face...beautiful and adorable. Her voice...gentle and cute. Kotori shot him a surprised look, and that is when it occurred to him that he is daydreaming.

"Thanks." Hiroshi slapped his face lightly, "Anyways, I want to know something. Are you familiar with romance? Have you dated before?" Kotori is taken aback by the question. Hiroshi shrugged his shoulders, "I know, it's kinda sensitive, so if you don't wanna talk about it..."

Kotori breathed in and out, "I didn't have a boyfriend before. I had a lot of suitors back in America. I didn't pick any one of them because I didn't like any of them. How about you? Did you have a girlfriend before?"

Hiroshi sighed, "It's all in the past. What she has done...I do not want to remember." Both of them kept quiet for a while before her phone vibrated. It is a reminder to buy some household items to restock, and a ball of string for her to sew the costumes for their next song, if µ's can finish brainstorming by the next day. She asked Hiroshi if he wanted to follow her to buy some stuff. He nodded his head in response.

In the night, Kotori cooked a simple dinner for Hiroshi. She brought the dishes from the kitchen to the dining table. Both of them then said 'itadakimasu' before eating.

"Looks like we got to know each other better today." Hiroshi said, "I'm glad that we spent some time together today."

"Me too." Kotori grinned, "Isn't it funny how we're sitting here, talking so comfortably with each other, when our first time meeting each other wasn't the same?" 

Hiroshi let out a small laugh, "I still remember that day. You dirtied my suit with the sauce at the restaurant. You know, Kotori, I still haven't had the chance to properly apologize to you about that incident. I'm sorry if I came off as a bastard that day. I really didn't mean to get into a verbal fight. It's just that..."

"It's an expensive suit. I get it, Hiroshi-chan." Kotori replied, "I understand how you feel. I would be pissed if someone had dirtied my dress. I would slap whoever that is." Both of them then giggled before smiling at each other. 

After the dinner, Hiroshi is getting ready to leave. Before he stepped out of the house, he stood at the doorstep and turned around to look at Kotori.

"Can I...ask you out next time?" He questioned, "Perhaps an amusement park? And then a picnic afterwards? Your choice."

Kotori nodded her head, "We can make that happen. I'll check when I'm free. I'll see you tomorrow for the songwriting session. Good night, Hiroshi-chan."

"Good night, Kotori." He then left the house. After he left, Kotori smiled to herself, happy that she got to spend time with him She hoped for more time like this. For the rest of the week, the members of µ's continued to work on their new song, with help from Yosuke and Hiroshi. They managed to finish it by the following week. Hiroshi posted the single in online stores and promoted it through social media, as what a manager would do. 

* * *

The next morning, Hiroshi pushed the main door of his music studio open. He is late for his meeting with µ's and Yosuke due to him having a nightmare about the accident again. It's normal to him now, and it's driving him crazier by the day.

There is a commotion, with the girls and Yosuke gathering in the middle of the room, looking at their phones and talking about something. Only Honoka is at the side of the room, searching up something on her own phone. Hiroshi went to them, "What's this big commotion about?"

"Someone beat us to the top position of the charts this week." Maki passed her phone to him, "We didn't expect this group to come through, not after their public and ugly dispute with their previous management team."

Hiroshi rubbed his eyes and looked at the phone. He is surprised to see that their song is not at the top position. Instead, a song made by Perfect is at the number one spot. 

"Perfect? Isn't this the girl group that got scammed by their previous managers who ran away?" Hiroshi asked, "They're able to make a song now? Who provided them the capital?"

Honoka went to Hiroshi, "Hiroshi-chan, you need to see this." She showed him a video of an interview with Alan. 

"So, how did you feel about Perfect's new single, 'COMEBACK WOW', Mr Turner?" The interviewer asked. Alan grinned, "It's really nice to hear. I like it a lot. I feel that the girls have been putting in a lot of effort since the very unfortunate incident that happened to them. I am trying my very best to help them by allowing them to pursue their dreams. I'm sure they'll be happy knowing that they still have a lot of fans who support them and their music."

"What has this bastard got to do with any of these?" He asked. 

"Hiroshi-chan, they are interviewing him about Perfect's new song, and how he made it at the top of the charts." She responded, "In other words, Alan's their manager." 

Hiroshi is about to say something when he remembered what Patrick had said. He then realized what was going on. The salaries of the members in Perfect do not come cheap. Thus, Alan resorted to taking a big sum of money out of the company's accounts to pay for it. Alan is embezzling company funds.

"I need to find Patrick right now." He muttered to himself as he stood up. However, his head hurts like hell. It is throbbing non-stop. Hiroshi couldn't take the pain. Every step he made, he felt very wobbly, like he could fall down anytime. His vision is blurry, and he can't think. He gave in to the pain and fainted. 

Umi is the first one to notice. She rushed to him and shook his body, "Hiroshi-chan, are you okay? Hiroshi-chan!"


	25. Wrong Time, Wrong Place

Hiroshi woke up with a start. He looked around and realized he was lying on the sofa in his music studio. He stood up, with his head still throbbing. Umi just came back from the supermarket to buy some ice, and saw him about to fall. She quickly ran to him and held his back before helping him lie on the sofa slowly. 

"Don't get up, Hiroshi-chan." Umi said worriedly, "You're having a high fever. It's time for you to rest. You can't be walking around when you're this sick."

"I'm fine, Umi." Hiroshi muttered, "I am...I can...I just..."

"See, you're not okay." She sighed, "You don't even know what you're saying. You're sick, so you should take a rest. I will take care of you for now. Let me just put the ice into a bowl of water, and I'll dip the cloth into it before placing it at your forehead. It helps to cool your forehead down."

She proceeded to place the ice cubes into a bowl of water and took it to Hiroshi. She then dipped the cloth into it and folded it neatly before placing it on his forehead.

"Sorry for troubling you, Umi." He uttered weakly, "It must be troublesome taking care of me. I call myself a man, yet I need a woman to take care of me." 

Umi just grinned at him, "I don't mind taking care of someone once in a while. Besides, I don't mind taking care of you because you're my..." At the moment she said that, she quickly shut her mouth.

"I'm your what?" He asked. 

Umi breathed in and out. "You're my best friend, Hiroshi-chan. Best friend."

"Quick, huh?" Hiroshi teased her. "We're friends before, now we're best friends? Interesting, Umi." 

"I mean...I...I..."

"I am joking, Umi." He patted her shoulder, "We're best friends. If you're facing any problem, you can tell me. I will try my very best to help you. That's what best friends are for, right?" 

Umi smiled at him, "Thank you, Hiroshi-chan."

"Where are the rest though?"

"Oh, Kotori went to buy some ingredients because she wanted to make a soup for you. The rest went to have an interview with a magazine company about our new song. And I'm free here..." As soon as she said that, her phone started ringing. She answered it and had a small talk before hanging up.

She looked at Hiroshi, who nodded his head, "Go. You need to attend to something important, don't you?" 

"Yeah, Onee-san's just back from her trekking trip a few hours ago. My parents wanted to bring her out today to welcome her back, and I'm asked to join. I'm sorry..."

"I understand." Hiroshi interrupted her, "Family bonding is important, Umi. You should get going. I'm fine all by myself." She smiled at him, "Thanks for being so understanding, Hiroshi-chan. I'll be going off first."

He waved goodbye to her. She did the same before leaving the studio. He then stared at the sky to admire the beautiful scenery. A few minutes later, Kotori came back from the supermarket. She saw that he was awake, and went to him.

"I'm glad that you're awake, Hiroshi-chan." Kotori looked at him worriedly, "Are you okay? Are you feeling fine now? We were so worried about you. I was so worried about you when you suddenly just fell down onto the floor like that. Have you been getting enough rest?" She felt his forehead and cheeks with her hands to see if they were still hot.

The moment Hiroshi's eyes met her face, his heart started beating rapidly, "I...I'm f...fine, Kotori. It's just a fever. Nothing too much to worry about. Thanks for asking." 

"Thank goodness it's not so hot now." Kotori smiled with her eyes closed, "I'm glad you're fine, Hiroshi-chan. Stay here, because I'm going to make something for you. Don't go anywhere!" She then skipped happily into the kitchen. He smiled and thought to himself, "What a cute girl she is."

**\--µ’s--**

A few minutes later, Kotori brought a bowl of soup to Hiroshi. He looked at her with curiosity. 

"Chicken noodle soup." She said, "It helps to hydrate your body, and keep dehydration out of the way. I read it up on the internet, and I guessed this might help you, so I went to the market to buy ingredients for it. Please tell me how it tastes, Hiroshi-chan."

He picked the spoon up and scooped up a portion of the soup. He drank it and was silent for a while. Kotori is worried the soup isn't of satisfactory taste to him.

"H...Hiroshi-chan? The soup..."

"It is delicious." Those words immediately came out of his mouth. When he gulped the soup down, he felt like he was in heaven, with that feeling of bliss and comfort. The taste, to him, is out of this world.

"Kotori, this soup is awesome. Can you give me one more bowl, please?" Upon hearing that, Kotori beamed and nodded her head. 

In the afternoon, Patrick went into Hiroshi's music studio and looked around. The latter had invited him over to talk about Alan, so he assumed Hiroshi had something to say about his son. He saw Hiroshi sleeping soundly on the sofa, with Kotori looking after him. Patrick found her familiar.

"Kotori Minami from µ's?" He asked. Kotori looked at him, "You know me?" Patrick chuckled, "My son's a big fan of your idol group. I'm here today because I'm looking for Hiroshi. He wanted to see me."

"Right, he told me he is expecting a guest." She said, "Let me wake him up." She then softly shook his shoulders, "Hiroshi-chan, you should wake up. Your guest is here." Hiroshi slowly opened his eyes and stretched his arms. He looked up at Patrick and groaned.

"Kotori, leave us alone for five minutes, will you?" He requested, "We have some personal business to talk about." She nodded her head and went to the kitchen.

"She's a cute girl, isn't she?" Patrick asked him. Hiroshi glared at him, and he raised his hands in defeat. Patrick then took a chair and sat beside Hiroshi.

"If you had recently watched the news, you would know Alan's the manager of an idol group named Perfect." Hiroshi told the CEO, "As you know, they were a very well-known idol group, and you know it since you listened to their music when they had just started ten years ago. Then the big scandal happened to them, and they were scammed of their money, so they decided not to do any more music."

"And you say Alan's the manager of Perfect." Patrick looked at him with confusion, "Tell me how that's related."

"So, just a few hours ago, Perfect released a new song." He continued, "Now, they're very popular. Think about it. They were renowned once, so they'd expect a high salary for them to continue singing. Alan is their manager, so..."

"He paid them with the company's funds that he stole." Patrick concluded. Hiroshi nodded his head, "That's why the forty four million yen was out of the company's safe. It's for their salaries."

"Are their salaries that expensive?" Patrick is surprised, "Man, I really need to teach Alan a lesson. He shouldn't be doing this kind of stuff. It's disgraceful to the Turner family. Thanks for telling me though. I'll take my leave." 

As Patrick is about to leave, Hiroshi called him out, "While I still care for you because you didn't do anything bad to me, I suggest you report him straight to the police., and then sue him for putting your company at risk of bankruptcy. Confronting a guy like Alan isn't going to work."

"You're biased against Alan just because of that one incident, Hiroshi. That's not the way to go, young man."

"I wish I could be biased in this case, Patrick. I really wish I could, but we're talking about embezzlement of company funds. Forty four million down the drain. That's a huge amount of money. You sure you're just going to let him off like that? He might do it again, and more money might be taken next time." Patrick sighed and went out of the studio.

* * *

In a restaurant, the rest of µ's and Yosuke sat around a big table and ordered some food for lunch. They are celebrating the success of their single, although it didn't top the charts. Nonetheless, they are still happy it ended up at the second position. 

"Cheers!" They clinked their glasses of soft drinks. 

"Sadly, our song didn't get to the first position, nya~" Rin sighed.

"Let's be grateful it debuted at the second position." Nozomi replied, "Anyway, we sing for the fans, not for the fame."

"Nozomi-chan's right." Honoka added on, "We achieved our goal. Our fans loved the song so much. As long as our fans are happy, we are happy!" The rest agreed.

"Since the song was successful, this meal's on me!" Yosuke declared, and the girls roared with joy. Everyone said their cheers and clinked their glasses once more before eating.

Nico took a piece of the fish fillet with her chopsticks and ate it. She nodded her head in satisfaction, "This is really fantastic. It really tastes like what people had said about it." She then turned to Maki, "Maki, this fish fillet is delicious. You should definitely try it out!"

"Later, Nico-chan." Her girlfriend responded, "I'm having a lot on my plate of rice now."

"But it's so god damn good! If you don't eat it now, it's all going to be eaten away! That way, you won't have any left!"

"It's really okay, Nico-chan. I'll eat that another day if I'm coming here in the future."

"That won't do." Nico took one piece of the fish fillet, "Since you won't take it, I'll take it for you and feed you. Open your mouth, Maki."

"We're in public, Nico-chan." The redhead whispered to her, "We can't do this here. It'll be embarrassing."

"What's so embarrassing about being my girlfriend?" Nico asked, "I want to show how much I love her and care for her. I can't possibly let you miss out on the nice food. Now, open your mouth."

Maki grinned, "Fine." She then opened her mouth, and Nico placed the food in her mouth. Maki chewed it and found it tasty. She took up a piece of fish and looked at Nico, "Since you fed me, now it's my turn. Open your mouth, Nico-chan. Aah..." Nico opened her mouth, and Maki placed the food into her mouth. Both of them then smiled at each other and laughed softly.

Nozomi, who is watching them, sighed as she stuffed rice into her mouth. She hoped that some day, she could do the same thing with Eli. She turned to Yosuke, who was beside her, and he's not having it any better. He looks disappointed, devastated, and angry at the same time. She could understand what he's going through.

Eli looked at the both of them, "What happened to the two of you? Why do you guys look so sad?" The two of them glared at Eli and said at the same time, "We're not!"

"You guys sound very defensive." Eli retorted with an exasperated face, "May I know why?" Nozomi continued eating her food while Yosuke whistled and looked away. The blonde facepalmed herself as she shook her head.

* * *

In Patrick's office, he leaned against his chair as he stared at his computer screen. He had asked Alan's coworkers if they knew where he had gone for lunch. Unfortunately, they said no.

He is contemplating calling the police on his own son. It feels really wrong to him, but he can't let his son walk down the wrong path. He wondered if he should follow Hiroshi's advice, and sue Alan too. After all, he had placed the company in a difficult situation by stealing the funds.

"Hey, Dad." Alan knocked on Patrick's door, "You're looking for me?" 

"Alan, a big sum of the company's funds are gone from the safe." Patrick uttered, "I want you to find out who might be behind the robbery. Get back to me with the people you suspect, and then we can try to find the culprit from the list and question them."

Alan looked a bit flustered, but quickly wiped that expression off his face and nodded his head. However, Patrick managed to catch that and knew Alan was worried for a second. 

The young man walked off, and Patrick went back to looking at his computer screen. He had installed a camera in the safe room, and it is nearly impossible for anyone to spot it unless they have a sharp eye. The surveillance footage can be seen real time on his computer screen.

He saw the door swing open. Alan then walked in and looked around the room. He seemed to be looking for something, but couldn't find it at all. He then went straight to the safe and pressed a bunch of buttons before stepping back. Nothing happened. Alan tried to do the same thing again, but it led to the same outcome as earlier. He did it a few more times, before he got frustrated.

Patrick snickered, "Looks like Hiroshi's right. Alan was the one who stole the money from the safe. To think he dared to act like he didn't. If I don't report him now, he's going to find a way to break the safe open sooner or later, and he's going to take more money. I got to do it now."

* * *

Umi was sitting in the cafe, looking at the night sky as her parents conversed with her older sister. They had already eaten their dinner, but her sister wanted some chocolate cake, so that's why they are in the cafe. It has been a few months since Umi and her parents had seen her older sister, but the bluenette feels like she has nothing to say to her sibling these days. Their conversations have always been short, and it only consists of 'are you doing fine', 'are you okay', or 'how's the family'. 

She missed the conversations where the two of them would talk about their daily lives in the past, like their celebrity crushes, favorite television series and even complaining about their strict and fierce father. Right now, her sister is someone who would rather spend more time with her friends than family. She hung out with her friends ever since university, and that's when they drifted apart.

These days, she has been constantly thinking of Hiroshi. She imagined going on dates with him, playing on the beach in their swimsuits, or even taking a romantic walk while they hold hands. She found all that good. She couldn't believe that she hadn't liked romance earlier. She had even once thought of starting a family with him, but that is still too embarrassing for her.

Her phone then rang. Umi took it out and saw that Hiroshi was calling. She answered the call, "Hello, Hiroshi-chan. How are you feeling now?"

"I'm recovering very well. Thanks for asking." Hiroshi responded, "So, about the outing, I think I can make it tomorrow. What do you say?"

"You can?" Umi is surprised, "Of course I'm available tomorrow! Can we meet at my house at around nine in the morning? That way, we can end the hike around lunchtime, and we can conveniently eat lunch."

"Sure. I'll see you tomorrow then." Hiroshi then said goodbye. Umi did the same and then ended the call. She grinned from ear to ear, and her sister noticed it. She asked her parents why Umi is so happy.

"Recently, she had found someone that she looked forward to meeting, a man no less." Her mother said, "It's pretty surprising, because she hasn't gone out with guys in her whole life until now." Umi would usually be mad that her mother had said that, but she could let it go today. She is happy that her crush had said yes to their outing.

* * *

The next morning, Hiroshi and Umi went hiking. They managed to complete it in a short time as the mountain is quite small and easy to trek up. Afterwards, they went to the restaurant that Umi's university friends had recommended, and ordered some katsu rice for the both of them.

While waiting for the food and drinks, Umi stared at Hiroshi dreamily while he looked at the menu once again to see the variety of food and drinks they have here.

When he placed the menu down, he saw Umi staring at him, smiling. He is confused by her action, and points it out to her, "Umi? Are you okay? Why are you smiling at me randomly?"

Umi realized it and quickly sat up straight, embarrassment written on her face, "I...I...I didn't mean to! I j...just found y...you s...so h...h...handsome and n...nice to look at..."

Hiroshi laughed at her, "You look so cute when you're embarrassed. Anyways, thanks for calling me handsome. You're quite pretty yourself too, Umi." Her heart stopped beating for a second. Did her crush just call her cute? She felt like she was in heaven now. 

"T...thank you, H...Hiroshi-chan." She shyly looked away, blushing. He smiled at her and continued to wait for the food and drinks with her. 

Yosuke was at the nearby clothing store, collecting a specially-tailored shirt for his mother. She had told him that she wanted to wear that for a friend's gathering, and that she had told her tailor friend to help her with the shirt. Being a filial son, he volunteered to get it for her. As he walked out, he saw Umi and Hiroshi talking happily in a restaurant.

"They're having another outing?" Yosuke thought, "Is Hiroshi taking me for a fool? Saying that it's a normal outing when he's clearly chasing her." He then stormed off.

For the rest of the day, Hiroshi and Umi continued their outing, going to the cinema to catch a movie and traveling to the aquarium to look at the marine animals. They then took dinner at a simple food court. 

As Hiroshi is driving Umi back to her house, she turned to him, "Thanks for making today fun, Hiroshi-chan. I enjoyed the outing today."

"Me too, Umi." Hiroshi replied, "The places you suggest are always really awesome and interesting. I wonder how you manage to find such nice locations."

"You flatter me." Umi said, "I have friends who helped me too. They know some nice locations too." They then stayed quiet for a while.

That allowed Umi to think. Is now the perfect time to confess her love for him? There's no one around to interrupt it, or ruin it. It's only him and her. She has little faith in herself. Yet, if she doesn't do it now, other girls might snatch him away, and she'll have no chance. She decided...

"Hiroshi-chan." Umi called out. He turned to look at her as he stopped at a right light. 

"I...I...I..." Umi stammered, her nervousness taking over her. She couldn't find the words to say, but she had to be quick with it, "I..."

"Umi, what are you trying to say?"

"I...You..."

Hiroshi's phone rang. He answered the call on speaker mode while she silently cursed and banged her forehead against the window softly.

"Hiroshi, I need you to go to Honoka's house right now." It is Yosuke on the other line, "I need to talk to you about something. In private. Urgently." He then hung up before Hiroshi could ask anything. He felt like Yosuke knew Umi was with him. However, Yosuke is not told of the outing at all.

"You can send me to Honoka's house, and then I'll take the bus from there." Umi suggested, "Since Yosuke-chan needed to meet you urgently, I can't possibly hold you back by asking you to send me to my home" 

"Umi..."

"I'm okay with it. Even if I were to meet baddies on the way home, I can fight. Don't delay your meeting with Yosuke-chan because of me, alright?" Hiroshi nodded his head, "Thank you, Umi. I'm sorry I can't send you home."

"It's okay!" Umi happily responded, "You can always repay my kindness by going out on another outing with me." 

Hiroshi parked his car outside the Homura bakery a few minutes later. He waved goodbye to Umi before running into the bakery. Honoka, who is at the counter, told him Yosuke is waiting in her room. He went up to Honoka's room, and saw Yosuke sitting on a chair, drinking a cup of tea.

"Close the door, Hiroshi." Yosuke told him. He closed the door and looked at his friend, "So, what do you..."

Yosuke slammed the cup on the table beside him and stood up, "You know, Hiroshi, I've always treated you as my friend. My best brother. Yet, you went out with Umi-chan AGAIN. You rejected her initially, but then you agreed eventually. You like her, don't you? You want to spend time with her so that I don't have a chance to be with her, or even go out with her."

"Yosuke, what are you even talking about? I..."

"I thought you knew I like Umi-chan!" Yosuke screamed, "No, let me rephrase that. You obviously knew I like her, but you kept going out with her when you know that'll make me mad! Are you trying to piss me off?"

"Yosuke..." Hiroshi had never seen Yosuke go off before, but as the saying goes, there's a first time for everything. 

"You're trying to play me like a damn fiddle!" Yosuke continued his tirade, "After all the times I helped you, you actually repaid me with this kind of bullshit?! What kind of brother are you, motherfucker?"

"I never had the intention to date Umi, nor do I like her, so don't you dare to accuse me of what I don't do." Hiroshi said sternly, "I hate it when people accuse me of what I didn't do. Besides, she invited me out. It didn't destroy your chances of asking her out."

"Stop trying to play the nice guy here, Hiroshi." Yosuke growled, "You could've rejected it and left it at that. Instead, you agreed to it. You obviously want to spend more time with her and be her boyfriend! You think I'm that stupid even though I'm older than you by a decade?"

"Well, if I wanted to do that, I would have done that right from the start!" Hiroshi raised his voice, "I would've snatched Umi from you and went out way much earlier than starting it now! Use your common sense, Yosuke!"

"You're telling me to use my fucking common sense, Hiroshi?" Yosuke shouted, "You're fucking funny! So ironic! You figured because you thought I ain't had common sense, you decided to fabricate the 'normal' outing to make me believe you! In reality, deep down, you're already so attracted to Umi-chan that you can't bear to let her go! You used excuses to try and make me dislike her so that you can have her to yourself! The fact that you hid this from me shows that you definitely have that intention!"

"Now you're coming up with bullshit, Yosuke, and I don't like that." Hiroshi glared at him, "What's gotten into you? Why are you like this? If you're not calm, then you'd better not talk to me about this..."

"How can I be calm?!" Yosuke has lost his cool, "You stole my crush, and you think that’s fine?! You think I like my crush getting stolen?! No, I fucking don’t! I trusted you, Hiroshi! I fucking did!"

"Chill the fuck down, Yosuke! I don’t even like her!" Hiroshi shouted back, "Are we quarreling over a woman, Yosuke?! Won’t you hear me out?! Where’s the brotherhood here?!" 

Yosuke went close to Hiroshi, "We'll cut the brotherhood off this instant. From now on, we're rivals." Yosuke then stormed out of the room and out of the bakery. Hiroshi sighed and leaned against the wall. He buried his face in his two hands as he wondered how it got to this.

Honoka knocked on the door, "I saw Yosuke-chan storming out of the bakery. You guys must have had a fight over Umi-chan, right?"

"That man is just jealous of the close friendship me and Umi have." He replied, "Just because he liked Umi, it doesn't mean that he can forbid me from going out with her."

"You know, you guys screamed and shouted, and I could hear it while I was in the kitchen earlier." She said, "You could've woken my mother up from her sleep." He bowed down, "I'm sorry for causing a fight in your house. I was unaware of the circumstances."

"It's okay. Just don't do it again." Honoka sighed, "Honestly, I thought Yosuke-chan would be calm when he told me he wanted to confront you. He flared up. I have to tell you the truth. I know why he got angry. You do know he likes Umi-chan, right?" Hiroshi nodded his head in response.

"The truth is...he's angry at you because you're the one Umi-chan likes." Upon hearing that from Honoka, Hiroshi looked at her with shock, "You got to be kidding me."

She shook her head, "Unfortunately, no." Hiroshi scratched his head in frustration, unsure of what he should do. He truly doesn't like Umi romantically, but yet he didn’t know how to reject her, and doesn't want to. He felt bad about doing that.

The next morning, he accompanied Kotori to buy some groceries in the supermarket. She wanted to cook dinner for the girls and her two managers, so she had to prepare early. She couldn't carry all the ingredients to her home alone, so usually she will ask Honoka or Umi to follow her. Still, she asked Hiroshi because she wanted to talk to him. She heard about Yosuke's fight with him the previous night from Honoka.

"You knew very well that Umi liked me, so why didn't you say so earlier?" He queried.

"You are enjoying your outing with Umi-chan, and you seem so happy spending time with her." Kotori answered, "Me and Honoka-chan just didn't want to make you two have an awkward relationship afterwards."

"I'll find it out sooner or later, Kotori." Hiroshi said as they walked out of the supermarket, "Now I know why Umi stared at me the whole time, calling me handsome. I thought it was just some friendly shit."

"You never had a relationship before, or never watched a romantic movie before, Hiroshi-chan?" Kotori teased him. 

"Let's not talk about my previous one." Hiroshi said, "It...wasn't successful to say the least. Anyways, I want to reject Umi. I can't accept her love. Yes, I do like her as a friend, but not romantically."

"Why though? She's such a warm and gentle woman." Kotori reasoned, "She can do lots of housework stuff, and she's a very good and capable housewife! You two are on good terms, so that's one step forward! Is it about Yosuke-chan? I think love is found by fate. If he..."

"I'm not concerned about that." Hiroshi stopped walking, "I don't really care about what Yosuke thinks. I really want to reject Umi because I like someone else, Kotori." Kotori stopped at the spot too and looked up at Hiroshi. 

Umi is also shopping at the same market to buy some ingredients to cook for Hiroshi one day. She wanted to show him that she could not only cook, she could cook delicious food too. She then saw him and Kotori a few meters away.

"I want to guess, Hiroshi-chan!" Kotori told him with excitement, "If I guessed correctly, you would have to give me a kiss on the cheek!"

"Why the hell do I have to do that?" He asked, "That sounds weird as a reward for you and for me. We're not even a couple. If anyone finds out about it, especially Umi, they'll be shocked, and we're never going to be seen the same way again."

"What? Are you scared now, Hiroshi-chan?" Kotori asked with a mischievous smile, "You don't dare to take up my challenge? There's only one out of the eight girls. The chance of me saying the correct one is very low!"

Hiroshi sighed, "Alright. To show you I'm a man who accepts a challenge from a woman. Just one try. I don't want anyone to mistake us as a couple."

Kotori couldn’t wait for this. She hoped to guess the right answer and kiss him. More importantly, she wanted to see if that girl was her. 

"So, you said Umi-chan is out of the question," She stated, "I think you like very cute girls, since you like to hang out with Umi."

"Is that your opinion, Kotori?" He questioned with a deadpan expression on his face. She just ignored him, "So...in any chance...is that girl...me? Is that girl Kotori Minami?!"

She took a lot of effort to say that out, but now she was extremely nervous about his answer. He shot her a surprised look, and immediately, all her hopes are crushed and destroyed. Sadness struck her so much that her heart ached.

"Ha ha ha...I knew it." She nervously laughed, but in fact, she was on the verge of tears, "I...I knew that it was just...a...a one-sided love..."

"Is that a confession, Kotori?" Hiroshi asked, "Did you just confess to me?" 

Kotori slowly nodded her head and looked down on the floor, "I...I'm so foolish to think that you'd like..."

_ Mwah! _

Kotori looked up and saw Hiroshi kissing her cheek. She is taken aback. She isn't expecting this at all. She totally isn't. Nevertheless, she enjoyed it. It struck her that it means...

"I like you too, Kotori Minami." Hiroshi admitted. 

Kotori beamed in joy and hugged him, "I love you, Hiroshi-chan!"

Umi, who is watching the whole situation unfold, dropped all her groceries in shock. She couldn't believe it. Hiroshi...didn't like her? He liked her best friend instead? She indirectly got...rejected. She felt devastated. Dejected. Miserable. She feels like her heart has just shattered into many broken pieces, and she is unable to pick them up. 

Kotori and Hiroshi heard the sound, stopped hugging, and turned to see Umi, watching them this whole time. The two of them are surprised and stunned. Hiroshi let go of Kotori, "Umi, hear me out..."

Umi started crying and ran away. Hiroshi is about to run after her, but realizes it's too late to do so. She ran away faster than the speed of the light. He could only look into the distance. 

In despair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry if that was a lengthy chapter to read, but I've written what I wanted to write there.
> 
> Anyways, as you have seen on the details of the story, there are 31 chapters, and we're in the final end of the story! From here onwards, the chapters will be much longer. I do hope you're enjoying it as usual, and thank you for sticking around.


	26. Anemone Heart

The moment Hiroshi kissed Kotori on the cheeks, Umi immediately felt heartbroken. She stood rooted on the spot in shock, unable to believe what she had just seen. Her body felt numb, and it's like she couldn't move at all. She dropped her groceries, staring at the both of them continuously.

Umi had never once felt any rejection before. That's because she had never been in any relationship before, and she previously didn't believe in romance and love. Now, she finally felt what rejection feels like. _A stinging pain in the heart_. She felt so devastated. She couldn't take the heartbreak.

Kotori and Hiroshi stopped hugging each other and turned to see her. They were surprised and stunned. That was the least of Umi's concerns, though. He let go of Kotori and looked at Umi, "Umi, hear me out..."

She didn't care. She didn't want to hear it at all. What else can he say? He likes Kotori, her best friend, and she likes him back too. There's no way Umi could have any more chance to get him.

Once she regained control over her body, tears started flowing down from her eyes, and she started crying. She quickly ran away from him in the other direction. She sprinted as fast as her legs could carry her. Hiroshi wants to chase after her, but realizes it's too late to do so. He looked into the distance as she disappeared. 

"What are you still doing here, Hiroshi-chan?" Kotori slapped his shoulder, "We got to find Umi-chan! I'm pretty sure she's depressed now. Who knows what she might do? We need to search for her now!" Hiroshi nodded his head, and the two of them split up to try and find Umi.

Kotori went around the supermarket while Hiroshi went to the food centre beside it. He went around, asking people if they had seen Umi. All of them either said 'no' or shook their heads.

"Fuck." He cursed under his breath. How could Umi be this stealthy? He was going to tell Umi about it during their next outing. He didn't expect her to be at the same place and observing their kissing and hugging at one corner. What a bizarre coincidence. 

He couldn’t give up searching for Umi now, though. He knows what it feels like to have a crush like someone else. He hoped Umi wasn’t not doing anything stupid now, because he is genuinely worried about her.

He continued to scan through the shops around the food centre. The bookstore, the flower shop, the music store. She was in none of them. He even checked the shops he thought she wouldn't go into. The bakery, the karaoke bar, and the furniture store. She was nowhere to be found.

With that, he took his phone out and called Kotori to see if she had found Umi at all. Unfortunately, she replied with a no. He told her to go back to the music studio to discuss it before he ended the call. He made a run to the carpark to get into his car before driving off.

**\--µ's--**

He pushed the doors of his music studio open, and he immediately saw Eli, Hanayo, and Rin gathering around Umi. They seemed concerned about her.

"Are you sure you are able to record your lines today, Umi?" Eli asked, "You don't look well, and I think you shouldn't be forcing yourself. Go and take a break, Umi."

"That's right, Umi-chan!" Hanayo added on, "I hope you don't overexert yourself because it is very bad for your health. You should go and get some rest. You can come back later or tomorrow."

"I'm fine, girls." Umi forced a fake smile, "Thank you for caring about me, but I'm okay. I'm not sick, I'm not tired, and I'm not forcing myself. I really wanted to sing my lines today. Trust me. I'm alright." Hiroshi knew, however, that she was definitely not.

"Are you sure, Umi-chan?" Rin shot a worried look at Umi, "You came back to the studio looking like some zombie. You even had sore eyes! Tell me who made you cry, and I'll scratch him until that person dies, nya~!"

"It's just...stress." Umi replied, "But it's nothing much..."

"Hey, look, Hiroshi-chan is here!" Hanayo pointed at him. The four of them turned towards him as he walked to them. 

"Hiroshi-chan, I'm glad you're here, nya~!" Rin went to him, "You have a way with words, right? Can you help Umi-chan? She looks like she's in a lot of pain. Even her eyes look puffy, nya~!"

"We hope you could comfort her and convince her to speak about her problems, Hiroshi-chan." Hanayo uttered, "She has been looking like that since she came here a few minutes ago. Maki-chan and Nico-chan tried to talk to her but she didn't reveal anything, and said she's okay. When she wanted to suddenly record her lines, we three asked her, and she still said she's fine. We hope you can talk to her, and persuade her to open up, just like how you persuaded us when you wanted to reform µ's."

"I...I..." Hiroshi could not find the words to say.

"It's okay, girls. I don't need any help. I'm really fine." Umi responded, "Besides, I do not expect him to help anyways." She then went into the recording room, leaving Hanayo, Eli, and Rin confused.

"What did she mean, Hiroshi?" Eli asked. Hanayo and Rin stared at him, expecting him to have an answer.

"Umm...maybe she's just really stressed." Hiroshi lied, when he knew that Umi's definitely pissed off at him, "I'll try to talk to her later. Just...go and do your own things, alright?" The three girls nodded their heads. They then looked at Umi through the one-way mirror as he sighed.

* * *

In Patrick's office, he looked at his phone that sat on his table. He was sick and tired of seeing Alan trying to break open the safe. He knew he had told himself to call the police and report Alan. He even contemplated suing his own son for company embezzlement. In spite of that, he decided to give his son one last chance. One last chance to redeem himself, to come forward and admit to the crime, to promise that he'll make the money back. Then Patrick will consider letting him off lightly. 

Well, that chance was used up now. Alan didn't try to apologize, or show that he's guilty for his mistake. Instead, he continued to do the same thing: trying to break the safe. Patrick shook his head in disappointment as he thought, "What kind of son did I raise?" He picked his phone up and dialed the number of the police.

"Hello, police? This is Mr Patrick Turner. I have a case to report."

* * *

In the evening, µ's had just finished their recording for the day. Most of them were getting ready to go home. Hiroshi suggested having dinner with his girlfriend, and she agreed happily. 

He saw Umi and called her out as he wanted to sort things out with her before the dinner. She ignored him and tried to exit out of the studio, but he blocked her way. No matter what she did, she couldn't pass through him.

"Saying shit that is aimed at me because I didn't pick you and picked Kotori instead..." Hiroshi said, "Umi, we can talk this out. You don't have to keep giving me the cold shoulder..."

"What is there to be talked about?" Umi asked angrily, "What else can you explain? I've seen everything with my eyes. You like Kotori, not me. What can I say?"

"Look, Umi, I know you're upset." Hiroshi reasoned out, "I know you're sad. Angry too. I know you liked me. I still see you as a good friend, Umi. Even if we're not together, we can still be the best of friends. I love you as a best friend, and I appreciate the dates you organized, the places you bring me to, and even the times you spent talking to me and helping me."

"Did you love me romantically, even before you confessed to Kotori?" She asked, tears appearing in her eyes. He shook his head, "I'm sorry, Umi..."

"You don't need to be sorry." Umi bowed, "I was rude to you today, so pardon me for my attitude. I'm sorry. With that said, I hope you can leave me be for the time being, Hiroshi-chan. I need to collect my thoughts." She then walked past him and went into the toilet instead of getting out. Hiroshi turned around and huffed before leaving the studio.

Later that night, Yosuke is in the gaming room, playing a shooting game on the Xbox One console. Unbeknownst to the girls, the studio actually has a gaming room, which was made by him and Hiroshi so that they can game while thinking of song ideas for The Man's catalogue. They bought a collection of games and stored it in this room. There are a number of consoles in it, along with a sofa to sit on, an air conditioner for cooling the room, and a king-sized bed for Hiroshi to sleep on if he's working overnight.

Yosuke is still pissed off at Hiroshi for stealing his one and only crush, and he feels mad that Hiroshi will be the only one Umi likes. He felt displeased and unhappy. He pretended the online opponent is Hiroshi, and vented his anger on the game. With that thinking in mind, he won the game easily. 

He stood up to stretch his arms, and cooled down. Maybe, just maybe, Hiroshi is a better boyfriend material than him. Not only is Hiroshi younger, he is more handsome and capable than Yosuke. The latter had nothing to himself besides having a degree in business. He's not a singer nor a hunk. He's just a normal man. He's also getting on in years. What are his redeeming qualities? How would people look at him if they ever dated? How could Umi possibly accept a man twice as old as her?

He groaned in silence and lied down on the bed. He wished he was way younger and more good looking, so that Umi will fall for him instead. However, he knew that's totally impossible now, and he could only give in to the cruel reality.

He switched the console off and went to the toilet to wash his hands before he closed the studio. As he got out of the washroom, he heard someone crying. He thought it was his imagination, so he didn't care. Nonetheless, the crying got louder, and it sounded quite familiar. 

He traced the voice to see where it was coming from, and he stopped outside the female toilet. He breathed in and out, "It's not a ghost. It's not a ghost. It's not a ghost." He then opened it and screamed in a scaredy manner. He looked down and saw Umi wailing, her back against the wall. He squatted down beside her.

"What's wrong, Umi-chan?" He patted her shoulder lightly, "Why are you here so late in the night? Aren't you supposed to be back at home? Are you okay?"

Umi took one glance at him and cleared his tears, "I'm fine. I'm about to leave soon, Yosuke-chan. I just needed to let some steam out."

"You're here for a few hours, aren't you?" He questioned, "Your eyes look very puffy. You must have been crying for a very long time. Are you really okay?"

She looked down on the floor and didn't respond to the question at all. Yosuke went forward and hugged her, "You can tell me all your problems, you know. Hiding it inside will only damage your heart further. Besides, I'm your biggest fan. I would want to help you in any way I can. I don't want my favorite idol to be unhappy, you know?"

Suddenly, Umi hugged him back and leaned her head against his chest, "Hiroshi-chan doesn't like me at all. He...he confessed to Kotori in front of me...I did everything I could to make him happy. I...I...brought him out...I talked to him...I...I spent time with him...I loved him sincerely. W...why did he...still not choose me? Why did he have to break my heart like that?" She then cried uncontrollably. 

Yosuke thought of telling her that romance is not that easy, but then he remembered Honoka telling him that this is the first time she believed in romance. He gently caressed her head with his hands, kept quiet, and sat there with her. He was glad he could be here for her tonight. 

* * *

In a park, Kotori and Hiroshi held hands as they took a romantic stroll along a walking path. There are trees all around, and there are people who are jogging. She felt so elated to be with the one she loves, and is more than content that he felt the same way. She had a big grin on her face, and Hiroshi noticed it.

"What got you smiling so brightly?" He asked. 

"You and I are a couple now!" She beamed, "It's the first time my crush likes me back, and agrees to be my boyfriend. It still feels so unreal."

"Well, you'd better believe it now." Hiroshi pecked her on the cheek, which caused her to blush. They walked for a while more before she stopped to look at him.

"Do you think Umi-chan would make it out of this?" She asked in a worried tone, "She's my best friend, and I'm worried for her. Do you think we should take some time to talk to her?"

"She told me she wanted to be left alone, so I suggest doing so." He answered, "I don't want to go against her wish. We'll leave her be for the time being. If things get too much out of hand, then we'll step in. Alright?" She nodded her head in response.

As they were sauntering out of the park, they saw a car accident outside, with lots of bystanders crowding around it. Hiroshi stared at it with an expressionless face while Kotori hurriedly took her phone out, "How are those people just standing there? Why aren't they calling anyone?" She then dialed the hospital's number and told the caller the location of the accident scene.

Hiroshi just stood rooted to the ground. Once he had seen the accident, he was reminded of the incident. Again. The tires screeching, the shouting from Posty, his dead, lifeless body after he got knocked by the Ford Mustang. It all came back running to his mind. It's like he can never get rid of them at all. He's forever cursed with this memory. 

Kotori glanced at him and realized he does not look so good, "Are you okay, Hiroshi-chan? You don't look too good." Hiroshi ignored her for a while. He didn't say anything, or even react in the slightest way.

"Hiroshi-chan?" She waved her right hand in front of his face until he responded, "Are you okay, Hiroshi-chan? You look so distracted by something."

"I'm alright, Kotori."

"Do you need any help?" Kotori asked worriedly, "I will definitely help you if you have any problems. I hope you're not hiding anything from me because you think you can handle it yourself."

Hiroshi turned to Kotori and kissed her on the forehead before looking at her, "I'm fine. You don't need to be very worried. It's just some random thoughts." 

* * *

Alan drove to his house and parked his car in the garage. He wanted to plop down on the sofa in the living room and watch some television shows. He was very tired doing work today, and he was stressed over the safe issue. He guessed that his father had suspected him of stealing. He needed to think of a way to break it open, or else he won't be able to pay the Perfect girls.

He switched on the lights of the living room, and immediately got a shock. Patrick was sitting on the sofa, glaring at Alan. The latter gulped in fear as his father stood up.

"You're back from work, my dear son." He said, "Why do you look so pale? Did you come across something that is scary? Or, are you trying to hide something from me?"

"Hide something from you?" Alan scoffed, "What do I have to hide from you, old man?" He then walked past his father and hid his own terror-filled face.

"The safe." Those two words from Patrick made Alan stop in his tracks. Alan turned around and looked at the seventy year old man.

"You paid these idol girls to beat Hiroshi at his own game." Patrick continued, "I get that. Your pride is on the line. You hate the guy. But that doesn't warrant you to use my money to do your shitty business. Use your own money, god damn it."

"You're accusing me..."

"A co-worker said he saw you go into the safe room, and came out with a big sum of cash. Two days ago, you tried to break open the safe again after I changed the password. You are really daring, Alan Turner."

"Well, I need to beat that sucker. It'll make me feel good to manage a girl group that's way better than him. Those µ's girls will come to me later as they see I have better managing skills!"

"You're embezzling the company's funds by doing your little petty thing, you fucking retard!" Patrick bellowed, "Do you know that is a crime, you idiot?! What have I raised you up for?! I didn't bring you up to do fucking crimes! I nurtured you to take over the mall when I die! The mall has great prospects, and now you ruined it thanks to your stupidity!"

"The mall this, the mall that, the mall isn't your only life!" Alan screamed back, "Your mall's a piece of shit, and it's dying because it's so irrelevant! What's the point of keeping the crap that you built thirty years ago when it's about to collapse to the damn ground! You won't let me pursue music or managing a music group. Instead, you forced me to do mall business, and I despise it a lot!"

"I don't care whether you like it or not, but you're taking over the mall! This is for your own good! It is for your own future, and you're going to accept it and take the mall with you!"

"I don't care either whether you want me to, because I don't give a fuck about your stupid, lousy, asinine shopping mall!" Alan retorted angrily, "It's never for my own good! Restricting me to a box is called good? Fuck you, you dense ass sucker! It sucks like fucking shit, and I'd rather burn it to the motherfucking ground and make sure it stays that way! You'd better not forget you indirectly caused Mum to die, you grey-haired prick! What good can it be when you caused me to have no mother?!"

"You...You..." As Patrick is about to say something, he gripped the top right of his chest as he started breathing heavily. A few seconds later, he stopped moving and fell onto the floor.

"Get up, old man. Stop trying to act pity." Alan sighed, "You can trick anyone else but me." Patrick still did not budge. Alan looked at him closely. 

He squatted down and placed his ear near to Patrick's chest. He got an immediate shock to hear his heart not beating anymore. It then hit him that Patrick was dead. Alan stumbled back in horror. He cursed silently under his breath.

He kept telling himself there's no way Patrick died, but the truth is in front of him. He then heard the old man's phone ringing on the dining table nearby. He looked at it and saw that it was the police boss who messaged him.

"I got officers to search for your son." It stated, "No worries, we'll catch him soon. The law won't allow him to escape after doing such a heinous crime." Alan glanced at his now-dead father and then back at the phone.

"He reported me to the police." He muttered to himself, "He reported his own son to the damn police." He knew he couldn't stay here any longer. He doesn't want to get caught, nor does he want to be involved with his father's death. He quickly took out his luggage and stuffed some clothes in it before leaving the house.

* * *

The next morning, Umi woke up, lying on the bed in the gaming room. She was confused how she ended up here, or where she even was to begin with. She then realized there is a cold cloth on her forehead, and a bowl of iced water beside her. She took off the cloth, stretched her arms, and got out of the bed. She walked out of the room and realized she is in the recording studio. 

Yosuke opened the main doors with a plastic bag in her hand. He looked at a shocked Umi.

"Morning, Umi-chan." He placed the plastic bag on the table nearby, "If you're wondering, yes, there is a gaming room in this big music studio. And no, I didn't sleep with you on the same bed. I slept on the sofa in the living room."

"Oh...oh no, that wasn't what I was asking!" Umi said in a frantic tone, "Although I would be relieved. Did anything happen to me? Did you take care of me throughout the night?"

"You cried for so long thanks to Hiroshi, then you got a high fever." Yosuke explained, "Of course I couldn't leave you in the lurch, so I took care of you throughout the night." Upon hearing that, Umi bowed down and constantly apologized to him, but he assured her it's okay as he doesn't mind taking care of her.

"I'm a mess, aren't I?" She asked sheepishly, "Crying over a crush..."

"It's normal, Umi-chan." Yosuke patted her shoulder, "It's your first time in romance after all. Are you feeling better now?"

"Yeah, I am." She grinned at him, "Thank you for taking care of me, Yosuke-chan. I really appreciate it. Why don't we do this? I'll treat you to today's lunch as a way to show my gratitude."

"Umi-chan, you don't have to do that." He tried to politely decline the offer, "I really don't mind to look after you. You're my biggest idol, so taking care of you is a big honor."

"But I feel bad about it, Yosuke-chan." Umi replied, "I usually don't have people taking care of me, let alone my biggest fan. Please, let me, your favorite idol, treat you to lunch. I'll feel better doing so." Seeing her plead to him about it, he gave in and agreed to it. 

"I'll be going back home to take a shower, before I come back." She smiled at him. She then waved goodbye to him, and he waved back at her before she went off.

**\-----**

A few minutes later, Hiroshi entered the studio. Yosuke saw him and went to him. The both of them kept quiet for a while before Yosuke initiated the conversation, "I'm sorry for flaring up the other night. I know I went a bit too far, and I accused you of liking Umi-chan, when you didn't. I heard from her that you're now together with Kotori-chan. Congratulations."

"So now you're kind to me because I didn't pick your crush, huh?" Hiroshi went near to Yosuke's face and growled, "Well, go and comfort her then, since you care more about a girl than a friend who's been with you for years." He then pushed Yosuke away and stormed into the game room.

Yosuke sighed and was about to try and talk to Hiroshi again when someone knocked on the main door. He went to open it, and to his surprise, Alan was standing outside with his luggage.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Yosuke questioned. Alan placed his luggage down, "Please, Yosuke. I really need help now. I need some cash, and a place to crash in. Right now."

"Don't you have your own house?" Yosuke asked with confusion, "You're from a rich family. Why do you need my help anyway? Besides, this isn't my studio. It's Hiroshi's studio, so you got to ask him."

"It's really desperate, Yosuke. Please." Alan went on his knees, "If it's about Posty, and the way I have treated you and Hiroshi before this, then I'm so sorry. I truly am regretful for what I have done. I assure you I won't be a bastard anymore and I'll change for you guys. Just please, give me a chance. I really need a place to stay and some money right now."

At this moment, the rest of µ's had reached the studio. They were shocked to see Alan on both knees, begging Yosuke. Hanayo wanted to go and help him, but Rin stopped her, telling her to let the men solve their own issue. Hiroshi heard the commotion and went out of the gaming room. Upon seeing Alan, he marched to the doorstep and stared daggers at Alan.

Alan heaved a sigh of relief, "Hiroshi, I'm glad you're here..." 

"Get out of my sight immediately." Hiroshi bellowed, "You do not have any right to stay here."

"Please, Hiroshi. I'm very sorry for what I have done." Alan whined, "In my quest to destroy you, I took the wrong path and fucked up. I also know that I did a lot of evil things to you and your brother. I promise I'll do anything within my capacity to make it up to you..."

"Capacity? You have nothing now, Alan." Hiroshi scowled, "You embezzled company funds. You lost Perfect. You lost your father's trust. He reported you to the police, and now you're a wanted criminal. Earlier today, he was found dead in your house. I'm very sure you caused his death. Even after your father died, and what you did to me, you got the audacity to come and ask me for help. What goes around, comes around. This is karma, and you deserved it."

"Please, Hiroshi, forgive me for my wrongdoings." Alan beseeched, holding Hiroshi's leg and looking up to him, "I really, really regret what I've done these past few years, and I..." Hiroshi punched Alan's face and kicked him away, which made everyone shocked.

"Scars are permanent, motherfucker." Hiroshi snarled at the criminal, "I want you to get out of my face right now, or I'll call the police. I'm sure they'll be very happy to arrest you." Alan had no choice but to take his luggage and run away quickly. Hiroshi then went back to the gaming room. 

Hanayo, the only one who cared for Alan, was concerned for him. She's worried that he might not have any place to stay anymore. Rin and Maki assured her that he'll be alright. 

* * *

During lunchtime, Hiroshi and Honoka ate lunch together. He wanted to ask her on the reason Umi seems so affected by an indirect rejection.

"As you know, Umi-chan likes you, so it's natural for her to feel devastated when she gets rejected." Honoka explained, "Umi-chan...also believed in love and romance because of you. Now that you're with Kotori-chan..."

"...means she won't believe in it anymore." Hiroshi sighed. Honoka nodded her head to that. He felt so guilty about it. If only he had known it earlier, he wouldn't have done the confession to Kotori in public. 

* * *

Umi brought Yosuke to the same restaurant where she had brought Hiroshi on their second and last outing. She recommended the katsu rice to Yosuke, and he decided to try it.

"I still can't thank you enough, Yosuke-chan." She talked.

"Alright, Umi-chan, you have been thanking me ever since this morning." Yosuke replied, "It's not a big deal, really."

"It is!" She retorted, "You didn't get enough sleep thanks to me. You're having dark circles under your eyes too. Even if I am your favorite idol, you shouldn't have gone all out of your way."

"I'll feel awful if I leave you alone." Yosuke uttered, "Anyways, don't thank me anymore. It's my duty to take care of you as a second manager of µ's."

"To be honest, from the bottom of my heart, I'm really glad to have such a caring friend and fan like you. I'm very happy we met. Thanks a lot, Yosuke-chan."

"What did I say about thank-you, Umi-chan? It's not needed. I should thank you instead. If you didn't give us a chance in America, none of this would've happened. I wouldn't be able to see my favorite idol group reform, or even meet my favorite idol, so as to speak." Umi's cheeks blushed as she smiled shyly at him.

* * *

Soon, a week has passed. Hiroshi and Kotori started to go out together more often. Umi and Yosuke were building up their friendship even further, like how Nozomi is doing the same with Eli. Nico and Maki hang out together occasionally. Hanayo continued to visit her mother in hospital. Rin spent time with her father and Peter. Likewise, Honoka spent some time with her family. Most importantly, the µ's girls are still writing and recording songs in the music studio.

The bad part was that Hiroshi has been constantly thinking about the accident all the time. From the panda eyes, to imagining the mishap during lunch and dinners together because of a car, a related word, or even randomly. He had made Kotori do nothing but worry for him all day. He had to keep assuring her that nothing was wrong, in order not to make Kotori worry and to hide the condition from her.

However, what's worse is that Kotori wanted to have a stay-over in his house. Hiroshi couldn't bear to say no to his girlfriend, so he naturally agreed. At the same time, he didn't want her to know about him waking up many times in the middle of the night.

She brought over her pajamas, a pair of new clothes, and a yellow pillow to his house. She cooked dinner, and they spent the rest of the night talking about idols in general, µ's, and their own personal lives, with a few kisses and hugs sprinkled here and there.

When midnight struck, Hiroshi took out a small mattress he bought in the morning and placed it beside his bed. He then told her that she could sleep on the bed while he sleeps on the mattress. She disagreed on that and wanted the two of them to sleep together.

"Wow, you're making the moves before I do." He teased her, "Not bad, Kotori. I like that." She grinned at him and lied down on the left side of the bed.

"I'm going to sleep now because we need to wake up early tomorrow for recording." Kotori yawned softly, "Good night, Hiroshi-chan."

"Good night, Kotori." He said it back before she closed her eyes and slept. He wanted to sleep too; he is just worried that he will disrupt her sleep by waking up from the nightmare every few minutes. He hoped that it wouldn't happen with her by his side. He went to bed and slept beside her. 

Having Kotori sleep beside him obviously didn't help him, as he woke up just a mere forty minutes later. He looked at Kotori sleeping soundly, and heaved a sigh of relief. Thankfully, he didn't wake her up. He tried to continue sleeping, forcing his eyes shut and his brain not to think about it. 

However, all his efforts are proved futile, and his hopes of sleeping well are dashed, as he woke up once more thirty minutes later.

Naturally, this woke Kotori from her slumber as well. She half-opened her eyes and looked at him, "Is there anything wrong, Hiroshi-chan?"

"Nothing.." He responded, "You can go back to sleep now, Kotori."

"Are you sure? You don't look too good, Hiroshi-chan."

"I just need a bit more time before I sleep. You can go and sleep first." 

Upon hearing that, she hugged him and kissed him on the cheek before returning to sleep. He grinned at her, thinking about the smile and the hug. It made him happy. If her actions made him feel on top of the world, he might be thinking of them instead, and he would be able to sleep peacefully throughout the rest of the night.

With that, he went back to sleep. Of course, that didn't work so well. Now, he woke up an hour later, screaming in cold sweat. Kotori got up and rubbed her eyes.

"Hiroshi-chan..."

"I'm fine, Kotori. Sorry for disrupting your sleep."

Kotori looked at him and held his shoulders, "No, you're not fine. Tell me what's going on truthfully. I really want to help you, Hiroshi-chan. I'm your girlfriend." With her puppy dog eyes staring right into his own, he couldn't resist answering her question.

"Remember the outing we had, after Honoka had broken up with her ex?" He sighed, "I told you about that big depressing incident I went through, and that I'm constantly thinking about it. Now, it has even appeared in my nightmares. I always wake up in the middle of the night because of this, leading to me having inadequate sleep. I can never escape from it."

"Is that why you always have those panda eyes?" She questioned. He nodded his head in response. She leaned against the wall and thought about his situation. She wanted to help him because she loves him so much, and this can be the opportunity to do so. She just needed to dig out a solution from her brain. 

"Kotori, it's really nothing. I appreciate the kiss and the hug from you, though." Hiroshi voiced out, "Usually, I would wake up every thirty to forty five minutes later. However, once you kissed and hugged me before you went to sleep, I was able to get an hour's sleep. Although it didn't do much, it took a longer time for me to get up." Out of the blue, an idea struck Kotori's brain.

"Since it increases your sleeping time, I could give you a hug and a kiss every time you wake up." She suggested, "That way, you'll be able to have more sleep."

"Are you sure you're gonna do that, Kotori?" Hiroshi asked, "That means you'll have to be awake when I wake up from a nightmare. Are you sure you can do that? I don't want to make you lose your sleep, or inconvenience you in any way."

"I'm positive about it!" She replied without hesitation, "I will be alright! Trust me on this one!"

He smiled and hugged her, "Thank you, Kotori. Remember, if you can't take it and you're feeling sleepy, go back to sleep, alright? Don't force yourself." She nodded her head, and with that, he went to sleep. 

The next time he woke up, which was an hour and a half later, he saw Kotori waking up a few seconds after him. She hugged him and kissed him on the cheeks. He patted her head and went back to sleep. He's glad she is helping him for the night, and that she isn't forcing herself to stay awake throughout the night.

The next day, Kotori and Hiroshi went to the music studio together after taking a bath separately. On the way there, she looked tired and kept sneezing. He asked her if she is okay, and she replied with a yes. 

Once they reached there, they walked into the studio, where the rest of the girls and Yosuke were already in the recording room, talking about the lyrics of a new song they composed. Hiroshi told his partner to join them as he would be buying snacks to refill the kitchen supplies in the studio. She agreed, and he went out.

A few minutes later, when he returned to the studio, he saw the girls crowd around Kotori as she lay on the sofa, her eyes half closed. Honoka dipped a cloth into the iced water bowl beside her and placed the cloth on Kotori's forehead. Yosuke came with the medical box, and took out some medicine for her to eat. 

"What the hell happened here?" Hiroshi asked with confusion.

"Kotori-chan suddenly fell down onto the floor as she was walking to us." Honoka told him, "We checked her to see if she was sick, and she indeed is down with a fever and a flu."

He looked at Kotori worriedly, who smiled weakly at him before sneezing. He told the rest of them to continue their recording process as he could take care of her.

"How are you sick? I thought you were fine." Hiroshi said to Kotori, "You told me you were fine. Is it because of yesterday night?"

Kotori sighed, "Hiroshi-chan, I'm sorry. I lied to you."

"What do you mean?"

"Yesterday night, I wasn't asleep at all." She admitted, "I was watching over you the whole night. I pretended to sleep when you are about to wake up, and I also pretended to wake up a few seconds after you. I don't want you to worry about anything and have a good night's rest with my hugs and kisses. This morning, I said I was fine. I wasn't. I was feeling tired, and my nose was acting all weird because it was cold yesterday night."

Hiroshi immediately felt guilt-ridden about it. His girlfriend stayed up all night and sacrificed her sleep to help him, and she got sick thanks to it. Kotori saw that look on his face and told him not to blame himself as she loves him, and that's why she did what she did.

At the end of the day, Hiroshi told Kotori to go home and take a good rest, while he is staying back to record some songs for his own album. She wanted to stay back and watch him, but he wanted her to head home to rest as she had just recovered. Listening to him, she gave him a goodbye kiss and hug before going off.

Hiroshi went into the recording room to collect his thoughts. His condition is not even improving; it's getting worse instead. The time in between each of his wake-ups is getting shorter. The timing did extend when Kotori was around, but he didn't want to ask her to help him anymore.

He felt like a burden to Kotori. She had been constantly worried about him as he always thought about the incident due to his surroundings. During their dates, their meals, and even the sleepover. Because of him, she had gotten a high fever and flu. If she were to do this to help him every time, it would greatly affect her life physically and mentally. He couldn't afford to let that happen, neither does he want it to happen to the one he loves.

That night, he called her and asked her if she would want to meet up for dinner the next day, and maybe they could take a walk if there is a nearby park. She agreed to it as she loves to spend time with him. 

* * *

The next day, Yosuke quickly drove to the studio. He overslept today due to him watching a marathon of the live shows µ's did the previous night. He cursed silently under his breath. This is his first time being late, and he already did not like the feeling.

Once he reached the studio, he quickly walked in and saw Kotori resting her head on Hiroshi's shoulder while she read some lyrics she had written. He gave her some pointers and praised her before kissing her on the cheeks. She beamed and kissed his cheeks too.

"It looks like Hiroshi really loves Kotori-chan." Yosuke thought to himself, "It was stupid of me to accuse him of liking Umi-chan. I should really find a day to properly apologize to him." He looked at them once more as they joked with each other. Kotori then poked Hiroshi's cheeks, and he brought her closer to him.

"I admire them." Yosuke sighed, "Being so close and lovely. I wish this could be me and Umi-chan, but I know it's impossible."

After the girls were done with their writing and recording for the day, Kotori skipped happily to Hiroshi, who was packing up, and hugged him from the back. He smiled at her and kissed her on the forehead. Once he locked the studio's doors, he brought her to a Western restaurant for dinner before they took a walk at the nearby park.

They interlocked their fingers together as they strolled on the walking path. She talked about how proud she had felt when she managed to finish writing a song in a day. She also told him that Umi started to ignore her completely after that day. Hiroshi just nodded his head to everything she said. He might be there with her, but his mind is somewhere else.

He was thinking about what to say to Kotori. He had something to say, but it seemed like he had no idea on how to express it. After a few more minutes of walking, Kotori saw his face and stopped in front of him, carrying an anxious look on her face.

"Hiroshi-chan? What's wrong?" She asked gently. He gulped his saliva down his throat and looked at Kotori.

"I...I got something to tell you." He said, "I don't know how to put it, so I'll just be direct." 

Kotori is visibly confused, "What...what are you talking about, Hiroshi-chan?"

He breathed in and out before speaking, "Kotori, let's break up."

When he said that, Kotori stared at him with shock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, had to get some tenses right.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	27. Past and Present

"Let's break up." Hiroshi told Kotori.

Those three words shocked her. She couldn't believe what she had just heard from his mouth. Is he doing fine? Was there some problem he was suffering from silently inside? Is he feeling depressed? She stepped up and went to touch his forehead, "Are you okay, Hiroshi-chan? You're not having any fever."

"I'm serious, Kotori." Hiroshi placed her hand down, "This relationship isn't going to work. Let's just give it up here and let it go. No point hanging onto something unstable."

"W...what are you talking about, Hiroshi-chan?" She started to get a bit worried, "Are you facing any problems or anything? I can help you..."

"As I said, there's no point forcing a relationship to continue." Hiroshi told her sternly, "Love can't be forced, Kotori."

"What are you even saying..." At this point, she is confused, anxious, and unsure of what he just meant. She wanted to know if there's anything wrong with Hiroshi.

"I...I lied to you." Hiroshi had a serious look on his face, "Actually, I don't love you at all. I was just playing with your feelings. I got together with you because I wanted to try a relationship out. I just wanted to see you smile. I didn't want to break it to you because you were so happy. I can't bear to tell the truth." Kotori looked at him with teary eyes as he looked down.

"You...gotta be joking, right?" Her tone is quivery, and she's on the verge of breaking down in tears, "You're lying...You are not serious, right?"

He bowed down in front of her before looking at her, "I'm sorry, Kotori. I know I am a bastard for lying to you. I shouldn't have led you on when I don't love you at all..."

Kotori slapped Hiroshi on the right cheek, interrupting him from talking, and leaving him speechless. Tears started flowing down from her eyes.

"I actually loved you...I loved you with all my heart..." She sobbed, "Do you know...how happy I was when you confessed your love? I...felt happy...someone I liked actually returned my feelings...Why do you have to play with me and my feelings? Why did you give me false hope? I actually loved you...I really do...why do you have to lead me on and make me look like a fool?! You...you're an asshole! I...I hate you!" She then slapped him once more before she turned around and ran away as she cried uncontrollably. 

As soon as she was out of sight, Hiroshi fell onto the floor and buried his face with teary eyes in his cupped hands, "I'm sorry, Kotori. I don't want to be a burden to you. I hope you forget me and move on."

**\--µ's--**

Yosuke brought Umi to a cinema. He is following his 'Stay with Umi’ initiative, which required him to comfort her and be with her through her tough times. Today, he suggested going to a cinema as he had never watched a movie in years.

"Thanks for constantly bringing me out and treating me nicely, Yosuke-chan." She said to him, "I appreciate your efforts to comfort me. I'm really glad to have you as a good friend."

"It's my duty." He told her proudly, "Anyways, do you know what kind of movie we're going to watch today?" She shook her head at that question. He took out the movie tickets and showed it to her.

"A romance movie?" Umi sounded a bit sad when she saw the genre of the film.

"Umi-chan, look." Yosuke sighed, "I know the last thing you want to watch is that, but I heard this movie has really high ratings. The rest of the movies showing now are crappy. Besides, I don't want you to give up on love. I know that it's hard to get over it, but that doesn't mean you won't be loved anymore even if Hiroshi doesn't like you. You're so pretty and kind, so I'm pretty sure there would be someone who is in love with you. If it doesn't happen now, it'll happen sooner or later."

"Really?" Umi looked at him, "Do you believe someone will be in love with me? Even with my awkwardness and strictness?"

"A hundred percent." Yosuke grinned, "Now, let's get going into the movie theatre. We don't want to be late for the movie, don't we?"

"Are you not buying popcorn and a drink?" She asked curiously.

"Ahh...you see, Umi-chan, I haven’t been to a cinema for almost two decades." Yosuke explained, "I had to help my mother out and do my studies afterwards. It's super hectic and busy for me. I didn't even have time to roam anywhere besides school, home, and a few restaurants. I remembered trying it as a kid, but I've forgotten the taste of it."

Umi walked over to the counter and bought some popcorn and a large cup of drink with two straws. 

"Oh, you want me to try it?" He looked at the popcorn before taking out his wallet, "How much is it? I'll pay you. I don't like to owe people favors."

"Take this as a treat, Yosuke-chan." She smiled at him, "You stayed by my side through my darkest times, listened to me ranting all the time, and cared so much for me. You're my biggest fan, so I make sure that continues being the case by treating you well."

"Heh, thanks for the popcorn and drink then." 

After the movie, the both of them came out, Umi was still amazed by it. She liked the movie, and talked about its good points with Yosuke. He agreed with her that it was a great film.

"Actually, I can relate to the other protagonist, Jason." He said, "In the end, he and the main male protagonist Holden like the girl, but the girl only chooses Holden because he's more charming. Jack’s a good man, and he did a lot for the girl, but he's not as handsome as Holden, thus the girl didn't pick him. I kinda hate the ending. It reminds me of myself, and I have a crush, but she doesn't notice it. I'm scared to make the first move." He then looks at Umi, hinting to her that she's the one.

"Oh, you have a crush?" She didn't get the hint, "I hope your crush notices you one day, so that you and her can be together. I can't wait for you to have a girlfriend, and to see how cute the two of you will be! You're so kind and handsome! I'm sure you'll be able to get a girl!"

"Yeah, but..."

"Oh right, you don't have to send me back tonight." Umi said, "My parents are going back home from visiting my uncle, and they volunteered to drive here and pick me up as this shopping mall is along the way."

She then hugged him, "Thank you for everything you've done, Yosuke-chan. Good night, and I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good night, Umi-chan." He patted her head. She then waved goodbye and went off. Yosuke banged his head against the wall and groaned.

"I gave her such an obvious hint, and she couldn't get it?!" Yosuke groaned. 

* * *

The next morning, he got to the music studio early. He realized the doors were open and were not locked. He opened it and switched the torchlight on his phone. He shone it in the dark living room and looked around. There seemed to be no one. 

He crept to the recording room and saw nothing out of the ordinary. He tiptoed to the gaming room and peeked inside. It did look normal. Finally, he went to the toilets. He still found nothing strange. 

"Weird." He thought to himself, "Maybe the door was already unlocked. But I remember locking it yesterday. Does that mean Hiroshi unlocked it? When did he do that?" He is very confused about it, but decided not to think about it anymore as it is not that important.

Two hours later, most of µ's arrived. They started planning their next song, with Yosuke joining in the discussion. They then realized someone's missing. There's Honoka, Umi, Eli, Nico, Maki, Nozomi, Rin, and Hanayo.

"Kotori-chan?" Honoka asked. The others either shrugged their shoulders or shook their heads. They have no clue where Kotori might be. She is always the first to be in the studio, or at least arrive on time. However, she's nowhere to be seen today.

"Could she have overslept?" Hanayo asked. 

"No." Umi replied, "She's the type of person who wakes up early. She will never miss an alarm."

"Maybe...touch wood..." Nico spoke up, "She got into an accident?"

Maki slapped her shoulder, "Don't talk rot here, Nico-chan. She's alive and well."

"What else can I say?" Nico whined, "Either Kotori's sleeping like a pig or she's in an accident. One way or another."

"I just realized another thing." Honoka voiced out, "Hiroshi-chan's not present too. That means..." 

"...something must have happened to them, or their relationship." Eli finished the sentence. Umi is now feeling worried about Kotori now. Yes, Kotori did steal her crush, and Umi does dislike her for that, but after all, they're best friends for so long. Umi just can't ignore Kotori when she's having troubles and faults her for something that she couldn't control.

"We'll go and look for her at her house, Honoka." Umi suggested, "You have her key, don't you?" The group leader nodded her head. Yosuke offered to drive them there.

After a few minutes of driving, Yosuke reached the apartment where Kotori stayed in. The trio went up to the twelfth floor and rushed to Kotori's house.

Honoka knocked on the door, "Kotori-chan? Are you there? Are you okay?" All she could hear are faint sounds of crying. She knocked once more before opening the door. The three of them ran to Kotori's room, and saw her curled up in a corner, crying. Her arm seemed to have one cut, and a scissors was beside her.

Honoka rushed to her and quickly took away the sharp object. She squatted beside her best friend, "What happened to you, Kotori-chan? What made you so upset? You can tell us. We're here to help you."

"I...I..." Kotori sniffled, "I...I..."

"Talk slowly, Kotori-chan." Yosuke told her, "Don't rush."

"H...he dumped me!" She wailed even louder now, "He...he lied to me...he...led me on...he didn't love me at all! I loved him with all my heart, I really do...I loved him a lot, and yet never loved me at all! He got together with me just to play with me! Why did he have to lie to me, and give me hope? Why?!" She cried out loud as tears rushed down her face like a waterfall.

Umi went to her and hugged her, "You deserve better, Kotori. That bastard does not deserve you or your love at all. Remember, you got us. We'll always be with you. µ's, Honoka, Yosuke-chan, and me. We'll always be by your side." Honoka joined in, and it became a group hug. Yosuke sighed and shook his head.

A few minutes later, Yosuke was driving Honoka and Umi back to the music studio. The latter two wanted to stay over with Kotori, but she wanted to be left alone for the rest of the day. However, she promised she wouldn’t do harm herself anymore. She admitted that she had done a stupid move.

"Yosuke-chan, I think this is very strange." Honoka told him, "How can Hiroshi-chan say he doesn't love her? They were like a loving couple before this whole fiasco happened. They were so close, they even slept together. Is he really playing with her this whole time? It's still hard to believe Hiroshi-chan's this kind of person. Is it because of that incident?"

"Well, I'll try to get in contact with him." Yosuke replied, "I need to find out the truth too. Hiroshi isn't bad at all. All I know is that I overheard Kotori-chan telling him that she didn't sleep that night to take care of Hiroshi."

Meanwhile, Umi just crossed her arms and frowned while she thought to herself, "This man thinks he can just play around with people's feelings whenever he wants to. He's even so daring to make Kotori so heartbroken. If I don't teach him a lesson today, he'll never learn." She took out her phone and texted Hiroshi, asking him to meet at the park during lunchtime.

* * *

In the afternoon, Hiroshi sat down on a bench in the park. He was unsure why Umi wanted to see him. After the pain and sadness he had caused her, he was puzzled that she arranged for a meetup with him. 

The next moment, thoughts of Kotori rushed to his head. The time she had confessed to him, the moments they had together, and how he broke her heart by lying to her that he doesn't love her. He genuinely felt loved when he was with Kotori. He felt guilty for making her devastated. But he kept telling himself that he doesn't want to be a burden to her. His condition is hard to handle, and he has caused her to get sick once. He doesn't want her to risk her health for him again.

He then saw Umi walking towards him. He stood up and waited for her to come to him. She looked very pissed, and he was confused on why.

"You got some guts to make Kotori heartbroken." She scowled at him, "She's such a nice girl, and you broke her down! You even made her cut herself thanks to it! What do you have to say?!"

Hiroshi looked away, pretending to be unbothered by it and having a mean attitude, "I didn't love her, as I told her. I don't really care about how she treats herself after that. I didn't force her hand to cut it. She could've just cried to you girls and get over it."

Umi, who is clenching her fists this whole time, sent a hard slap straight at his left cheek, "You have the audacity to say that! You led her on, lied to her, played with her feelings, and then dumped her once you're done! You bastard! You think that just because you're good looking, you can play around with people's feelings?! You're such a despicable person. Kotori was so in love with you. She gave it her all to be with you. She even got sick because she took care of you! Yet you just thought it was cool to play along with her like that! You made her depressed! You're a horrible person, and you disgust me. To others, you're still a manager. To me, you're dead." She then stormed off. Hiroshi slumped onto the bench and sighed. He didn't have a choice but to act. He didn’t want anyone to know about his condition, lest he burden them with it. 

* * *

In the music studio, Nozomi was thinking of lyrics to write for her verse in one of the new songs µ's is making for their new album. They're only halfway done with it, and they could probably release it in a year or two.

The theme of this song was unrequited love, and the lyrics would be about an one-sided love, unsure if they should confess to their lover as it might make things awkward and ruin their friendship.

Nozomi could easily write this. She's in the same exact situation. She loves Eli romantically, but she thinks Eli feels the same way. Nozomi doesn't want to confess, because she is scared her friendship with Eli will be broken off. 

She picked the pen up and started jotting down the lyrics. She imagined herself to be the protagonist in the song. She listed her favorite features of Eli, what she liked about the blonde, and even wrote about her prediction of their future if they could ever get together.

"Wow, you really wrote a lot within a short time." Eli peeked at Nozomi's paper, "That's pretty impressive. Not even I could write that fast."

The latter quickly hid the paper behind her back and smiled shyly, "O...oh, really? It...it was just based on my own experience..." Realizing what she had just said, she gasped in horror and covered her mouth, but it was too late. Eli heard what she had said.

"You’ve got a crush?" Eli asked excitedly. Nozomi sighed and nodded her head.

Eli held her shoulders and teased her, "I have no idea and i'm dying to know who it could be!" Nozomi really wanted to let her feelings out and confess her love to Eli, but she knew she couldn't bring herself to do it. If she did, the risk of destroying the friendship is almost a hundred percent. Holding in romantic feelings has never been easy for Nozomi, but she tries her best not to let it show.

"Y...yeah, but she's...she's someone you don't know at all." Nozomi stuttered, "B...besides, I want to keep it a secret. I don't want anyone to know it yet."

"Guess it can't be helped then." Eli said. Maki and Nico were looking at the two of them from the kitchen. The redhead shook her head in disappointment.

"Those two..." Maki uttered, "When are they going to wake up?"

"They'll find out about it eventually." Nico replied, "Give them some time."

* * *

At night, after Yosuke sent Honoka and Umi to Kotori's house, he drove to Hiroshi's house. He had tried to call Hiroshi numerous times, and even messaged him after he visited Kotori this morning. No calls were returned. The messages were sent and read, but there were no replies from the manager.

Once Yosuke reached his house, he knocked on the door and waited for a few seconds. Nothing. No response. Yosuke pressed the doorbell this time and waited again. The door didn't open.

Yosuke tried opening the door, but it was locked. He groaned, "Where the hell can this guy be?" At this moment, his phone vibrated. A text message from Hiroshi had just come in.

"I'm at the bar." 

A few minutes later, he got into the bar and saw Hiroshi drinking some red wine. It seems like he had drank three-quarter of the bottle, and he was pouring more into the wine glass before drinking it down. Yosuke ran to him and took away the bottle, "Stop drinking, god damnit! You'll kill yourself if you continue!"

"Killing myself...heh..." Hiroshi laughed, "...I want to do that...What is life..."

"You're drunk." Yosuke shook his head in disappointment. He went to the counter and paid for the wine before carrying Hiroshi on his back and brought him into the car's backseat. Yosuke got onto the driver's seat and drove off to Hiroshi's house. 

"Ha...ha...ha..." Hiroshi said drunkenly, "My life is so miserable...Every single time...my brain never fails to think about...him...the incident...I tried my hardest not to think about it...but it keeps popping up in my life...even the love of my life had to step in and help me...I need a woman to help me...I can't even help myself...I'm worthless...I'm such a burden to everyone..."

Yosuke turned to look at him and sighed. He can sympathize with Hiroshi. After all, he knew what Hiroshi had been through. It wasn't easy for Hiroshi at all, to get to this point of his life, maintaining his condition well until Alan stepped in, wasting all the efforts and bringing back the pain.

Once Yosuke reached Hiroshi's apartment, he carried Hiroshi up to his toilet, where Hiroshi vomited into the toilet bowl. Yosuke then brought him to his bedroom and covered his body with a blanket.

"Hang in there." Yosuke muttered, "You're doing well. Don't give up hope just yet." He then got a call from his mother. He answered the call.

"Yosuke, when are you returning home?" She asked, "I'm waiting for you to start dinner. You aren't usually this late. Has anything happened at work?"

"Umm...yeah, Ma, I'm staying with Hiroshi now because he's drunk. I'll go back in around half an hour. You can eat first if you're hungry. I'll talk to you later, Ma." He then ended the call.

* * *

At the same time, Hanayo and Rin were walking out of the shopping mall near the music studio. They decided to take their dinner there and do a little shopping. They planned to visit Hanayo's mother after this.

"How's your father doing, Rin-chan?" Hanayo asked.

"He's doing fine, nya~" Rin replied, "Peter-san and I take turns to take care of him, and he's getting better! I got to say Peter-chan is really good at doing his job. He is really gentle and warm towards my father, and is very, very patient, nya~!"

"That's good to hear!" Hanayo exclaimed, "I'm glad Hiroshi-chan has found a good caretaker for your father. I wonder how I'm going to take care of my mother."

"Don't worry about that too much." Rin grinned, "After all, we'll always find a way no matter what. We joined µ's on the spot without even thinking of our future back then. It turned out fine, didn't it?" 

"I guess you're right." Hanayo nodded her head in response, "I should think positive. Everything will be alright."

As they are walking, a man wearing a cap bumped onto Hanayo, making him drop his sunglasses he was putting on. He seems to be frantically running away from something or someone. Hanayo looked at him and recognized him.

"Alan-chan!" She was exclaimed, completely caught off-guard. He placed a finger to her lips, "Shush, Hanayo-chan. I don't want anyone to notice me out here."

"Are you alright?" Hanayo asked worriedly, looking for any scratches or cuts on his hands to see if he's injured. 

"I'm fine, Hanayo-chan. Thanks for asking."

"You're a wanted criminal now." Rin crossed her arms and pulled Hanayo away from him, "You embezzled company funds, and you caused your own father's death. As a concerned friend of Kayo-chin, I won't allow you to get near her. You're a dangerous criminal."

"I swear it is not what you think." Alan said, "Hanayo-chan, you got to believe me. I didn't want things to end up like this."

She looked at him, "I really don't know what to say, Alan-chan."

"Hanayo-chan, do you have a vacant room?" Alan questioned, "Can I stay with you and hide in your house?"

"You crazy?!" Rin screamed, "You want Kayo-chin to become your accomplice and get involved in your stuff?! No way am I allowing you to stay in her house!"

Suddenly, a few policemen appeared a few meters behind Alan. One of them pointed at the fugitive and shouted, "Alan Turner, stop right there!" Alan heard it and quickly ran away, past the two girls as the police officers gave chase.

"Let's not care about that guy and get to the hospital." Rin held Hanayo's hand and moved forward but stopped when the latter stood still.

"Rin-chan, can we please go after Alan-chan?" Hanayo asked, "I'm scared he'll do something foolish in order to escape from the police."

Rin was in complete disbelief, "Are you freaking serious..." 

"Please, Rin-chan." Hanayo pleaded. Rin sighed and agreed to it. They turned the other way and ran after the policemen. At the rooftop of a shopping mall, Alan tried to run in different directions, but all of it led him to nowhere.

The officers bust through the door and Alan scrambled to the edge of the mall. They aimed their guns at Alan.

"Get down from there, Alan Turner!" One of the police officers said.

"No!" Alan screamed, "If you come any closer and try to arrest me, I'll jump down from this building and kill myself! I would rather go to hell than to suffer in jail!" Another officer took out his walkie talkie and said 'Plan B' to it.

"You do not want to jump down, Alan Turner." A third officer replied sternly, "You still can turn over a new leaf after jail. Your father's death was caused by a heart attack, not by you. You will only get the charge for embezzling funds."

"I don't wanna go to jail." Alan shook his head frantically, "I don't wanna go to jail!" Hanayo and Rin managed to find him after running up many flights of stairs.

"Alan-chan, listen to me." Hanayo said, "I know you are scared right now. Come down from there. Turn yourself in. You heard the policemen; you won't get the murder charge. I will visit you constantly, and I will be there at your release, cheering and supporting you on. I don't wish for my fan to be running away from the law. It's really stressful."

"Why are you encouraging me to turn myself in, Hanayo-chan?!" Alan cried, "I can't afford to go to jail! What happens if other prisoners hate me and pick on me? What happens if I get beaten up by other prisoners there? What if I die from my injuries?! I don't want to imagine that at all! It's so scary!"

"If you're so scared about going to jail, then you shouldn't have embezzled the company's funds!" A police officer shouted, "When you do something wrong, you have to face the music and take responsibility for your own actions!"

"If you see Kayo-chin as your idol, you'd better listen to her and step down!" Rin retorted, "Don't go around saying all this bullshit! You still have a future even after you serve time in prison!"

"Don't talk to him like that, Rin-chan." Hanayo frowned, "He's obviously scared now. You're just making him more agitated. I'll do the talking." As she is about to say something to Alan, he jumped off the edge and off the rooftop of the shopping mall.

"Now!" The same police officer who talked through the walkie-talkie earlier shouted at it.

"Alan-chan!" She ran to the edge and stared as he was falling down. However, at the bottom of the building, a few more policemen pushed a trampoline out on the first floor. They waited for Alan to fall onto the trampoline before pouncing on him, restricting him on the spot. Alan struggled to break free of the clutches, but to no avail as the policemen forced his hands behind his backs and handcuffed him. 

"I can't go to jail!" Alan screeched, "Let me go! I will die if I end up in a jail cell! I promise I will change my ways and become better! Please don't send me to jail!" The policemen pushed him into the police car, ignoring his cries for help. Hanayo walked from the rooftop and started sobbing. Rin pulled her close and hugged her.

At two in the morning, Hiroshi woke up with a start. He had just dreamt of the nightmare again. He stretched his arms and went to the toilet. His throat still felt super dry. His body was sore for some reason. He wondered how he had ended back on his own bed. All he remembered was him drinking lots of wine before he got drunk. Yosuke must've sent him back. 

"I ought to thank Yosuke." He thought to himself as he looked at the mirror. However, he didn't see his reflection at all. Hiroshi found it strange, but nonetheless, he rubbed his eyes. They must've been playing a trick on him. 

There's still no reflection. He closed his eyes and counted to three before opening it. Immediately, he is greeted with Posty's face on the mirror. He jumped back in horror and fell onto the floor.

"You killed me!" Posty bellowed before his face disappeared.

"It was an accident!" Hiroshi screamed in agony, cowering in fear, "I didn't mean to get you killed, I promise!" He huffed in and out rapidly, and his heart was beating so fast it felt like it could burst anytime. By the time Hiroshi looked up at the mirror again, Posty's face was gone, and all he saw was his own reflection. 

Hiroshi is suddenly reminded about the old times with Posty. The singing sessions, the bonding time, the discussion about idols they used to have, the accident...He lied down on the floor and stared at the ceiling. 

"Maybe...I should really do it..."

* * *

A few hours later, Yosuke was walking around in the music studio, trying to call Hiroshi. He didn't answer the phone, which made Yosuke worried. It was like the previous evening. Perhaps Hiroshi will message him later. Maki and Nico came into the studio and looked at Yosuke pacing up and down. 

"Yosuke-chan?" Maki asked.

He stopped and looked at her, "Oh, morning, Nico-chan and Maki-chan. You girls are surprisingly early. What brings you here at this hour?"

"We thought we could just refine our lyrics a bit." Nico replied, "Me and Maki-chan had a video call yesterday, and we found our lyrics to be a little too corny."

"So Hiroshi-chan ain't coming again today?" Maki sighed as she sat down on the sofa, "What's up with him and Kotori-chan? Why don't they settle it face to face instead of hiding from each other?"

"It's a long story. He can't be like you girls, who made up in a toilet cubicle."

"S...shut up." Maki looked away before changing the topic, "I...I have never talked to Hiroshi-chan once. Will it be very awkward if he comes and talks to me?"

Yosuke shook his head, "He's super friendly. He likes µ's a lot, and he tries his best to manage it well. I believe you should talk to him to understand more about him. After all, the rest of µ's did the same, didn't they?" She nodded her head at that response.

* * *

During lunch hour, Umi and Honoka accompanied Kotori in the studio while they ate lunch. Yosuke is in the kitchen while the rest have gone to eat out.

"Why did you come here even though we told you to rest at home?" Umi asked Kotori worriedly, "I don't want you to force yourself to work if you're not feeling well, Kotori. We can give you a few days to sort your feelings out."

"I'm feeling better now, Umi-chan." Kotori replied, "Thanks for asking. I don't want to hold the whole team down because of my own personal issues. I might still break down randomly, so don't mind me."

"Definitely, Kotori-chan." Honoka patted her shoulder, "We just hope you'll take a good rest from this. We know this has been hard for you, which is why we told you to stay at home."

"I don't feel good staying at home doing nothing while you girls are finishing up the song. It'd be bad for me to delay it. Besides, even if I lock myself up at home, I won't be able to stop thinking about Hiroshi-chan. We might have broken up, but I still love him. I love him so much that I forgave him for what he has done to me."

"This is always you." Umi sighed, "You think about other people first before yourself. You're such a kind soul. Sometimes, you have to think about yourself first. Be selfish. And about that bastard, don't care about him. He doesn't deserve your love. He doesn't feel any shame doing what he did. What an asshole. Just our luck to have this manager."

Honoka cleared her throat, "Umi-chan, don't mix personal issues with work. He manages µ's very well. His character can be questionable, but not his dedication to promote our music. Our songs became famous worldwide because he helped us."

Yosuke had been trying to call Hiroshi a lot of times, but nothing got through at all. Yosuke was extremely worried about his best friend, wondering if he's okay or not.

"Yosuke-chan, who are you trying to call?" Honoka questioned, "This whole time we're talking, you seemed to be very anxious."

"Hiroshi. He's missing now, and I'm pretty anxious about it. If anything ever happens to him, I won't be able to live the rest of my life in peace."

Kotori looked down onto the floor while Umi slammed her fists on the table.

"Why does everyone care about that motherfucker?!" Umi screamed, "He didn't even regret dumping Kotori after playing with her feelings! He's an emotionless, inconsiderate, insufferable jerk! You should just leave him alone to reflect on his actions!"

"That's enough, Umi-chan." Yosuke glared at her, "You don't have to go all out on him. You don't even know what he went through, and you're here talking like you knew him inside out. What if I told you he has PTSD?"

"Post traumatic stress disorder?" Kotori perked her head up, "He..."

"I'll tell the tale" Yosuke leaned against the wall and explained, "Hiroshi used to be very close with his older brother, Hisashi. They did things together all the time, and they were very much inseparable. Both of them loved each other. The first time I met Hisashi in university, I was in awe of how much he loved his younger brother. The amount of care and love he constantly showers Hiroshi with is outstanding. Around that time, I met Alan too. He got along very well with me and Hisashi as we were in the same university class, and we all love µ's. Alan wasn't in favor of Hiroshi though, and that's when the unfortunate incident happened.

"Three years ago, Hiroshi had a girlfriend named Emily. The two got along quite well, and I thought everything's going to be smooth sailing from then on. Turns out, Alan hated Hiroshi a lot, so he convinced Emily to cheat on Hiroshi, and date Hisashi. One day, they were found making out...by Hiroshi. He was furious, of course. His girlfriend is not only cheating on him, she is also dating his brother. He stormed out of the house, with Hisashi chasing him. A car going at a very high speed...ran him over and killed him immediately." 

"Wait...I remember hearing some accident like that too." Kotori said, "A famous singer named Posty was reported dead in a hit-and-run accident too. If I remembered correctly, Posty was running after someone when he got knocked down by a Ford Mustang and died on the spot. The driver drove away after a few seconds due to fright, and got caught afterwards. Was Posty..."

"Yup." Yosuke nodded his head, "Posty is Hisashi, Hiroshi's older brother." Umi and Kotori looked at him with shock.

"You knew about this, Honoka?" Umi asked. 

"Yosuke-chan told me when I found out about Hiroshi-chan's feud with Alan." Honoka answered, "I found Alan to be an asshole. Even if he's our fan, he's such a bad person towards Hiroshi-chan. That's why I don't bother acknowledging him."

"For three years, Hiroshi has been getting constant flashbacks about it." Yosuke continued, "It haunts him in his nightmares 'til this day, making him wake up numerous times in the middle of the night and lose his sleep. He thinks it's his fault Hisashi died, hence he couldn't forget it at all. I helped him manage his condition. It was somehow stable three years later, until Alan came into our lives again and had that fight with Hiroshi outside. His condition deteriorated quickly, and the efforts spent to stabilize it over the years went down the drain. He knows it himself, and he doesn't want to burden you with it, Kotori-chan. Thus, he chose to break up with you."

He stood up and straightened his blazer, "Well, now that I'm done with what I have to say, I need to go and find Hiroshi now. I can't waste any more time. Hopefully, he's not doing some silly shit." As he was about to go, he saw Kotori stand up from her chair.

"I'll come with you." She declared. Umi is about to retort when Honoka stops her. Yosuke and Kotori then ran out of the studio.

"Why did you stop me, Honoka?" Umi asked angrily, "Yes, that guy had some condition. That doesn't mean..."

"Let them handle their stuff, Umi-chan." Honoka told her, "You heard Yosuke-chan. He won't lie about anything. I'm sure Hiroshi-chan really thought of Kotori a lot, and that's why he did what he did. You got to understand him, then you'll know he isn't such a bad guy after all. Think about it. If you're in his shoes, what would you do?"

Umi leaned back on her chair and sighed as she looked at a beaming Honoka. 

Meanwhile, Yosuke drove to Hiroshi's apartment again. He and Kotori went up to his room and knocked on the door. There is no answer.

"Hiroshi-chan!" Kotori called out, "Open the door, Hiroshi-chan! We're here to talk it out. Please, if you have any difficulties, don't hide it from us." 

While Kotori continued knocking, Yosuke racked his brains to think of where Hiroshi could probably have gone. Nowhere. Nowhere, except...

"Kotori-chan, I think I knew where he went." He uttered. At that moment, it started raining heavily. He needed to act quick. If Hiroshi's at the location he thought of, he had to rush there to stop before he does something reckless.

* * *

A few minutes later, Yosuke stopped the car a few meters away from Hiroshi's old house. Hiroshi was standing at the sidewalk directly outside his used-to-be house. He just stood at the pavement, staring at the road and remembering about the events that happened before the unfortunate incident.

_Hiroshi had just finished folding the clothes for him and Posty. He took up Posty's clothes and went up the stairs to Posty's room. The door was closed, like always. Posty never stopped working on his music ever since his last live performance. For some reason, he wanted to finish the next album quickly out of nowhere, when usually he would take his time to make it perfect._

_Hiroshi shrugged it off and knocked on the door. There were sounds, almost inaudible, coming from the room. It sounded like kissing. A few seconds later, Posty opened the door and smiled at his younger brother,_ _"What do you need, my brother?"_

_"Your clothes." Hiroshi passed the clothes to him, "The washing machine is done washing it, so I thought I could help you fold it."_

_"You're so kind, as usual." Posty patted Hiroshi's head before coughing rapidly._

_"Are you okay, Brother?" Hiroshi asked worriedly, "Do you need your cough medicine?"_

_Posty shook his head, "It's just a normal cough. I'll be alright once I sip some water. Anyways, I'll be working on my album right now, so I'll talk to you later."_

_"Brother, I heard some kissing in the room." Hiroshi smiled cheekily, "Are you watching what I think you're watching?"_

_"Nah. I'm watching romance shows. I really need to get to work now. I'll see you later." Posty then closed his door. Strange, Hiroshi thought. Posty would never ever chase his own brother out of the room for any reason, even if it's for a music album. Hiroshi walked away, dismissing his own train of thoughts and assumed Posty was working hard._

_A few minutes later, he brought a cup of water and a medicine tablet up. He didn't know why Posty needed medication for just a cough. He went up to the room and was about to knock on the door when he heard a feminine voice coming from inside._

_"...you're a way better kisser than him." The voice said._

_"Damn hell right I am." Posty said, "I guarantee you that I'm ten times better than your boyfriend. You should just be with me and dump him. Does he even know of our relationship though?"_

_"What did I just hear?" Hiroshi thought to himself, "And why is that female voice so familiar?"_

_"I will find a time to tell him, no worries." The voice told Posty. Hiroshi preceded to knock on the door. He could hear scuffling before Posty opened the door._

_"What now?" Posty sounded a bit annoyed. Hiroshi gave him his medication and the cup of water before going into the room. He looked around and saw the computer on, with a kissing scene of a drama displayed on the screen._

_"There's nothing in my room." Posty told him, "I already told you I'm watching romance shows for some inspiration in my songs." Perhaps Hiroshi had been thinking too much. He's pretty stressed out himself too. His girlfriend Emily didn't text him back since morning. He was about to leave the room when he heard a phone ringing. That ringtone was recognizable. He turned around and tried to track the source of the sound. Posty tried stopping him, but he still managed to find the phone. It was charging on a table beside Posty's bed._

_Hiroshi took it and looked at the wallpaper. He was shocked to see that the wallpaper was a picture of him and his girlfriend. He switched the phone off and checked under the bed, but no one was there._

_"Hiroshi, listen to me." Posty reasoned, "That's a phone my friend dropped in a restaurant. I helped her pick it up, and she's meeting me tonight for dinner to collect it."_

_"Bullshit." Hiroshi glared at Posty before glancing at the wardrobe. He walked there and opened it, where a woman was found hiding in it. Hiroshi stepped back in horror as she came out of it._

_"Emily, what the fuck..." Hiroshi's voice was brimming with rage._

_"I'm sorry, Hiroshi-chan." Emily replied, "I...I didn't mean to..."_

_"Wait, your boyfriend is..." Posty was equally as shocked, "...Hiroshi?"_

_"Don't act like you don't know anything, you bastard!" Hiroshi shouted at him, "My girlfriend is cheating on me with my brother. I see how this is. From now on, Hisashi Oshiro, since you love snatching other people's girls, go ahead and take her away! You're not fit to be my brother at all!" He then ran away._

_"Emily, you didn't tell me this earlier." Posty uttered in confusion, "Your boyfriend is Hiroshi?! Why the hell did you not tell me about it at all?! I wouldn't have dated you if I knew it!"_

_"Sorry, I wanted this to be kept a secret." Emily sighed, "Alan introduced me to you, and of course I couldn't resist you. You're more handsome and talented than him. I wanted you more than him. After I found out you and Hiroshi-chan are brothers, I didn't want to say it because it would ruin your brotherhood. Who knew he realized our relationship because of my phone ringing?"_

_"Alan..." Posty did a facepalm before glaring at her, "I'll deal with you later." He quickly got out of the room and chased after Hiroshi._

_Meanwhile, Hiroshi stormed out of the house. Posty kept calling out his name, running after him. Hiroshi chose to ignore it as he walked across the road. Out of a sudden, he heard tires screeching. Hiroshi turned around, only to see Posty being knocked by a car. Emily came out of the house, and ran to Posty, who had blood flowing out his mouth rapidly. The back of Posty's head started bleeding profusely too. Hiroshi was shocked as he stood rooted to the ground._

_"Hisahsi-chan, wake up!" Emily cried while kneeling beside him, "You can't die now! You gotta stay strong! The ambulance is coming soon!" Hiroshi slowly walked towards Posty and looked at his body. His hands trembled. He didn't know if he should feel happy, angry, or devastated._

_“No, this can't be happening. It's impossible. This is not true.” These are the only words Hiroshi could manage to speak at that point._

The loud thunderstorm brought him back to the present. He really wanted to die now. He felt so guilty for causing Posty's death, and he couldn't get over it for three years. It was time he paid for his sins.

Yosuke nudged Kotori and pointed at Hiroshi. Kotori nodded her head and took an umbrella with her. She opened it as she got out of the car, and was about to walk towards Hiroshi when she caught a glimpse of a car speeding. She looked at Hiroshi, who was walking towards the road. She immediately threw her umbrella away and ran towards him. 

Just as he stood a distance away from the car, preparing to get hit by it, Kotori pulled him away, making them both fall back onto the sidewalk. Hiroshi got back up and was about to go onto the road again, but she held his hand. He turned around and glared at her.

"What the hell are you doing here?" He asked furiously, "Why did you interrupt me in what I was doing?"

"You were trying to kill yourself." She replied, "I can't just stand there and watch you die."

"So what if I want to get killed?" He raised his voice at her, "So what if I want to get knocked down by a car? We've broken up already. Why do you even care?"

"I still love you, Hiroshi-chan." Kotori whined, "I know you broke up with me for a reason. I know what you've been through. I know it's tough."

"What do you know?" He questioned, "Did you not hear what I had said to you the other night? I led you on. I played with your feelings. I didn't love you at all. Stop dreaming to get back together with me! It's impossible!" He shook her hand off and was about to step onto the road again when Kotori pulled him towards her.

"Why are you stopping me from doing what I want to do?!" He shouted, "You ain't my damn girlfriend! Why are you so worried for a guy who didn't give two fucks about you?!"

"Because I love you!" Kotori shouted back, on the verge of tearing up, "I can't stop thinking about you! You might not be serious about me, but I am! I care for you! I don't want you to face your troubles alone! I want to help you! Yosuke-chan told me everything about the accident. Let me stay by your side and help you!"

"This is why I broke up with you!" Hiroshi screamed, "You care too much about others before yourself! Do you know how terrible I felt when you got sick because of me? I felt so guilty! I...I love you so much, and that's why I can't bear to burden you with my condition! I am a complicated man, and I have a lot of problems. I don't want to suffer along with me. You deserve so much better than me."

"I want to be with you, Hiroshi-chan!" She cried, "I don't care about what condition you have! You will never be a burden to me, or to any of our friends! I can take the hardship and any obstacle that stands in our way! I just want to be by your side and help you! I really love you, Hiroshi-chan!"

"You can't be serious..." Hiroshi was cut off when she held his hands and looked at him.

"I felt miserable and devastated without you." She looked down, holding back her tears, "I really can't imagine a world without you. Please don't run away from me anymore, Hiroshi-chan. We can face this together. I promise I'll be by your side. I love you so much, Hiroshi-chan."

Hiroshi hugged her and let his tears out, "I'm sorry for the harsh words that night, Kotori. I didn't mean to hurt you like this. I love you a lot. I really do. I'm grateful you're still willing to be with me even when I have this awful condition." Kotori wailed uncontrollably onto his shirt and wrapped her arms around his body. Yosuke watched the whole scenario happen in his car, and smiled to himself.

Kotori decided that she wanted to have an impromptu sleepover at Hiroshi's house so that she could spend some time with him. He agreed to it. 

After work, Kotori waited for Hiroshi to finish packing up his stuff before they held hands and walked out of the studio. Umi caught sight of the couple, and stared at them while she thought, "They're back together now, huh..."

Once Kotori got her pajamas and her yellow pillow, she and Hiroshi went to the latter's house. She cooked dinner for the both of them to eat. They proceeded to have a romantic walk at a nearby park. They held hands as they strolled on the pavement.

"So Yosuke told you every single detail?" He asked her. 

She nodded her head, "Everything about what you have been facing, Hiroshi-chan."

"You know, I still feel that it's my fault...for his death." He sighed, "After all, if I had stayed and talked it out with him, none of this would've happened today. My childish brain didn't think so that time, however."

"Hiroshi-chan..."

"All these years, I'm trying to be a good person. My brother loved µ's, and so do I after I listened to some of your songs thanks to him." He uttered, "I just want to fulfill this last wish of his by reforming µ's. After all, Posty's always the one doing something for me. Be it passing down his singing and songwriting skills, his guitar, or even a simple thing as letting me have the final drumstick during dinner last time. I've never done anything. Instead, I've caused him trouble. I've caused his friend to hate me to the core. I've caused his death. No matter what I do, I don't think it'll ever be enough."

Kotori stopped walking and turned towards him, "Hiroshi-chan, it was an accident. Nobody blamed you for it, neither do I. It's normal to feel angry at the moment when your ex was cheating on you for him. And it's good you wanted to do something for your brother. I'm glad you like our music. If you hadn't reformed µ's, you wouldn't have met us, and I wouldn't have met the love of my life." She proceeded to tip-toe and peck him gently on the cheeks.

"I'm here to help you manage your condition." She smiled brightly at him, "You're my boyfriend, so your problem is my problem, and I'll make sure to assist you in any way I can! It might take a very long time, and it might be extremely hard for me, but I don't mind going through these tough times. Because I love you so much, Hiroshi-chan. I'm willing to do anything for you."

Hiroshi grinned, "I love you too, Kotori. Thanks for staying with me even when I tried to chase you away and said mean stuff to you. Thanks for not giving up hope on me. Most importantly, thank you for loving such an imperfect human like me. I promise to you that my love for you is true, and I want to be with you for the rest of my life." 

Both of them then kissed each other on the lips and stayed in that position for a few moments, enjoying every part of it under the night sky.

* * *

At midnight, she lied down beside Hiroshi on the bed. He was about to sleep when she rested her head against his right shoulder as she held her pillow with one hand.

"Anytime you wake up, I'll be here." She told him, "I'll hug you and then we can both return to sleep."

"You're so thoughtful." He patted her head, "Are you sure though? I might wake up often like the last time, and you will lose your sleep. I don't want history to repeat itself, you know."

"Hiroshi-chan, I might know why you can't sleep." She replied, "You think the accident was your fault."

"As what I've always been telling myself."

"You should think it is not. I know it's hard to do so, but just remember that you didn't do anything wrong at all. You reacted like how a normal human would. Emotions might have gotten the better of you that time, but it's perfectly fine. Anyone who finds out their lover is cheating on them will break down too."

"I guess...that's true..." Hiroshi scratched his chin, "Alright, I'll try my best to think that way. Thank you, and good night, Kotori."

"Good night, Hiroshi-chan." She closed her eyes and fell asleep. Hiroshi grinned at her and kissed her forehead before going to sleep too. Her advice proved to be fruitful, as he woke up every hour and a half, as opposed to the previous half-an-hour intervals. 

The next morning, Kotori woke up as the bright sun shone on her face. She stretched her arms and realized Hiroshi was not around. 

"He must've gone to buy breakfast." She thought as she went to brush her teeth and take a bath afterwards. As she was drying her hair, she saw a piece of paper fall onto the floor from the dining table. She bent down to pick it up and noticed there are words on it. Curious, she read it.

"Dear Kotori, let me start off this letter by saying I love you so much." It stated, "When I first met you, I thought you were so pretentious. As I got to know you better, you are a warm, caring, and lovely friend. You cared more about your friends than yourself, and I admire that. Ever since you gave me that hug during the picnic, I started falling in love with you. I couldn't stop thinking about you, and I was elated when you confessed your love to me. I couldn't be happier. My feelings were returned. I know I have said some mean things to you, wanting to break up with you. I felt like a burden to everyone, especially you.

"You got sick thanks to me. I felt really guilty about it. I love you a lot, and that's why I don't want you to sacrifice your own health and life for me. Also, I can't forget the depressing event I told you before, and I know it's my fault it happened. I want to die. I want to kill myself. I'm the cause of all these problems. If I were to end my own life, all of these would be fixed. Gone. By the time you read this letter, either I'm still trying to commit suicide, or I have already killed myself. No matter what the outcome is, I will still love you forever, Kotori. Thanks for all the memories you and µ's gave me during this period of time. I'm grateful for it, and I'm glad that I met you. I love you, Kotori, and goodbye. Sincerely, Hiroshi."

"It...it's a suicide note...by Hiroshi-chan..." Kotori dropped the paper in shock, "No...it can't be...I got to stop him quickly..." She quickly got dressed up and ran out of the house to look for Hiroshi.


	28. I Want To Protect You!

In a cafe, Yosuke met up with Hiroshi for a small talk. The former wanted to check up on the latter to see if he was feeling better after the previous day's incident. 

"I'm alright now. Thanks for asking." Hiroshi replied, "You know, I didn't expect you to reveal everything to Kotori. I thought you would've kept it a secret because I wanted you to. But if you didn't say it out, I would've killed myself without thinking twice. Come to think about it now, I don't want to commit suicide at all. It would be extremely rash of me to do so. Thanks, Yosuke."

"For your information, I told Umi-chan about it too." Yosuke told him, "I don't want her to keep misunderstanding you and hate you just because you rejected her and the mean things you said to Kotori."

"I appreciate the thought, but it's okay. If she wants to look at me as a bad guy, it's fine by me. After all, I really am one. I made Kotori devastated, and I caused her to have a mental breakdown. As her best friend, Umi will obviously be furious at me."

"You apologized for your actions, and you got back together with her too." Yosuke retorted, "I'm sure Umi-chan will come to understand it too. Give her some time to take it in. To be honest, I think she's holding a grudge against you because you rejected her."

"I'm sorry, Yosuke." Hiroshi bowed, "I didn't mean to create this big mess. I know you're sad that she liked me, and not you. Now she doesn't believe in love again. I'm sorry to ruin your chance, and also for screaming at you that night."

"It's okay. We're brothers after all." Yosuke patted his shoulder, "Besides, I'm in the wrong too. I jumped into conclusions too quickly, and quarreled with you, threatening to break off our friendship. I was childish and immature."

"Guess we're both at fault, huh?" Hiroshi grinned. Yosuke smirked in response.

"Are the other members asking you about my disappearance?" The manager questioned.

"Everyone's pretty worried for you, but I guess they don't need to worry anymore. You're coming back soon, right?"

Hiroshi nodded his head, "Oh yeah, I need to get going. I need to deliver breakfast to my cute girlfriend. I can't let her starve."

"You bought her cheesecake? That's so sweet of you. I'm glad you believe in romance again."

"Me too. I'll see you soon." Hiroshi then stood up and left the café. As he was walking back, he thought about the events that had happened yesterday.

If Kotori had not shown up to stop him, he might have been killed. It would have been meaningless to him cause he'd be dead, but it would make his loved ones incredibly sad and heartbroken. His emotions really got the better of him, and he couldn't stop the thought of suicide at that time. He was glad his girlfriend was able to save him from doing something so silly and rash.

He was also grateful that Kotori gave him a second chance even after the words he had said, and even offered to help him through tough times. He really appreciated Kotori, and hoped he could be with her for eternity.

While he was on his way home, he saw Kotori frantically going around, asking people something. He narrowed his eyes just to get a clearer view, and it was indeed her. She turned to her front and saw him. She has tears flowing down from her eyes, and looks like she is on the verge of crying.

"Hiroshi-chan!" She ran to him and hugged him tightly while sobbing on his shirt, "Do you know how scared I was when you said you wanted to kill yourself? I was so terrified! I didn't want to lose you again! Promise me you'll never leave me again!"

"K...Kotori?" He smiled sheepishly as he patted her head with his free hand. He is visibly confused, and is planning to ask her when they get back home.

**—µ's—**

Kotori handed him the note she had read earlier. He took it and scanned through it before crushing it and throwing it into the dustbin.

"You can ignore that." He laughed, "I wrote that yesterday, when I was about to kill myself at the roadside. I left it at home so that when I die, and the police officers investigate the house, they'll see the note, and give it to you as it's directed to you. However, I don't think there's a need for that anymore."

"You still dare to grin about that!" Kotori frowned as she crossed her arms and pouted, "Do you know how panicked I was when I saw that letter?! I can't believe you're taking this too lightly."

"In all seriousness," He held her hands, "You saved me, Kotori. Not only that, you also gave me a second chance and continued to love me even though I was a bastard who tried to push you away because I couldn't face my own problems. You never gave up on me, and you even wanted to help me. To that, thank you, Kotori. I really love you so much. No words can express my gratitude and undying love for you. I want to be with you forever."

"Look at you, becoming all mushy and corny." She blushed, "I like that, though. I love you too, Hiroshi-chan." They then kissed each other on the lips. 

"Alright, eat your cheesecake before I take it and eat it." He teased her. She quickly snatched it away from him and started munching on it. He smiled at her and smoothly caressed her hair with his hands.

* * *

In the same café, Umi sat opposite of Yosuke as she ordered some butter toast and warm green tea. He had invited her to have breakfast with him and have a small talk at the same time. After they got their breakfast, they said 'itadakimasu' before they started eating.

Umi glanced at Yosuke before looking down on her food. She fidgeted with her fingers and stared at her toast. She was unsure on whether she should ask him something or not. She doesn't want him to look at her the wrong way.

"Umi-chan?" He noticed it and asked her, "Is there anything wrong with the bread? The coffee? Or the atmosphere? We can change food or places if you want to. You don't look so well."

"I'm okay, Yosuke-chan." Umi replied, "I...I was just wondering i...if H...Hiroshi-chan feeling okay now?"

"Ho ho ho, look who's showing him concern!" He let out a hearty laugh, which caused her to look away in embarrassment, "The idol who's been disliking him is now concerned about him. Oh, how the tables have turned."

"It's...ugh..." Umi groaned, "After the story you told me yesterday, I started to feel bad for him. I know that he didn't mean to hurt Kotori in a way, and I can understand his actions. I feel guilty for calling him names and insulting him."

"He's doing perfectly fine. You need not worry. In fact, he got back together with Kotori-chan, and those two lovebirds are happy with each other now."

"Oh yeah, speaking of romance," Umi gave him a cheeky smile, "Yosuke-chan, do you remember that time in the cinema when you told me that you had a crush? I'm interested to know who she is. She must be very pretty too, right?"

"W...what? Why has the topic changed?" Yosuke asked, "Why is it now about my crush? Where did that even come from?"

"C'mon, Yosuke-chan. Your best idol wants to know what your crush looks like, or how her personality is. I know I can't give you tips on romance, but I'm just curious. Pretty please, Yosuke-chan?"

He sighed and nodded his head, "I won't show you her picture, because I want to keep it a secret. I can tell you about her personality though. She's a very kind and pretty person. She knows what's right and upholds justice. She is a born leader at heart. Although she can be a bit stern at times, she always makes the right decisions. She also loves her friends with all her heart. I guess that's what got her intriguing to me."

"Your crush must be some magnificent, open-hearted person!" Umi responded, "She sounds really good. She sounds a lot like me too, and I guess that's really good. You like me as an idol, so if you can find a person similar to me and prettier than me, you'll definitely go for her. You should chase her!"

"Too bad I'm not daring to go and confess to her." Yosuke uttered, "I liked her a very long time ago, but I'm too much of a pussy to admit it. I would rather watch from a distance. I would be happy."

"But..."

Yosuke interrupted her by standing up, "I need to go to the bathroom. I'll pay the bill afterwards, so wait outside for me, alright?" He then walked off to the washroom. Umi is confused on why Yosuke doesn't want to speak much about his crush. What's so embarrassing about it? She is curious, though. His crush's personality is very similar to her own. Could she be thinking too much? She shrugged her shoulders and left the café.

* * *

A few minutes later, Yosuke drove Umi to the music studio. They walked in, and saw Hiroshi, who is talking to the rest of µ's.

"You're finally back with Kotori-chan." Honoka said, "Welcome back!"

"Thank you, Honoka. I'm sorry for not coming here for two days."

"It's okay. Your well-being is more important than anything else." Eli smiled.

"How are you, Hiroshi-chan?" Nozomi asked, "Have you been taking proper breaks at home before you come to work today?"

"I did." Hiroshi replied, "I just had to settle something personal. Now it's all good. Besides, I can't be staying at home all the time. I'll get bored to death. I like to see you girls writing lyrics and then singing them."

"We don't want our manager to fall sick or something just to see us do our stuff, you know." Maki told him, "Get some rest when you need it."

"You cannot get sick." Nico added on, "You can't afford to miss the number one idol in the universe singing in the studio. It's a spectacular thing to watch." Kotori noticed the two of them standing at the door and called them out.

Hiroshi turned around and saw Umi. They stared at each other for a few seconds before she cleared her throat, "I...I need to go and record my verse in the room." She quickly walked past Hiroshi and into the recording room. 

"I'll...go play some games." Hiroshi then ran off to the gaming room and closed the door. The rest went back to writing lyrics and recording. Kotori and Yosuke went to the kitchen to discuss something.

"Umi-chan and Hiroshi-chan..." She sighed, "They still refused to speak to each other."

"I can't believe none of them are willing to sit down and talk." He shook his head in disappointment.

She nodded her head, "I was telling Hiroshi-chan on our way here to try his best to strike up a conversation with Umi-chan. That way, it'll be easier for him to apologize to her because he could do that in the middle of their talk. Seems like it's impossible now."

"We have to find a way to make sure they talk again." Yosuke declared, "They can't continue to be this awkward if we're going to see each other almost every day. Besides, he's the manager of µ's. He has to get along well with the members to have a better work relationship." Kotori agreed with him.

"You said earlier that neither one of them are willing to sit down to settle their differences." She said, "We can make them do something." She then whispered something into his ear.

"That sounds great. We will do this at the end of the day." He replied, "Both of them will be free by that time, so they won't have any excuses to avoid each other again."

In the evening, the girls were preparing to take their leave and either have dinner or go straight home. Umi quickly stuffed her water bottle into her bag. She can't possibly face Hiroshi again. Things would get real awkward again if she were to bump into him. As she is about to leave the studio, Yosuke went to her and stood in front of her.

"Y...Yosuke-chan!" She said, "A...are you going home too? Do you want to go home with me? We can talk about the new song we're making."

"Umi-chan, I have to ask you to stay back for a while." Yosuke scratched his head, "I need help to move some stuff into the gaming room. Would you mind helping me?"

"S...sure!" Inside, Umi is groaning, wanting to run away as fast as possible. However, she also wanted to help her biggest fan. She followed him to a room. He opened the door, and she saw nothing inside except plain white walls.

"Umm, Yosuke-chan, there's nothing in here." 

"Could you wait inside here?" Yosuke asked, "I thought I told Hiroshi to put the stuff here for us to carry it over. I'll see if he had left it in the living room." He then went to the living room and called Kotori on his phone to take action now. He was relieved his lie wasn't noticed by Umi.

A few minutes later, Kotori led Hiroshi to the room and told him to go in. He saw Umi and they stared at each other awkwardly again. 

"What are you planning, Kotori?" He questioned his girlfriend, "Why are you putting me and Umi in the same room? Is there some ulterior motive behind this?"

"This is for your own good, Hiroshi-chan." Kotori crossed her arms as she retorted, "You should solve your conflicts with Umi-chan. If you two want to stop being so awkward and uncomfortable with each other, just talk it out. We're meeting each other almost every day, so dodging one another isn't going to help any of you. These issues ain't going to fix itself. I'll let you two have some alone time." She then closed the door and went to the living room, where she sat beside Yosuke. She took out her phone and went to the surveillance camera application to see what's happening in the room.

Umi and Hiroshi looked away from each other. They stayed silent for a while, uncertain of what to say to each other. Eventually, seconds become minutes, and Hiroshi knew that this would go on for hours if they just stayed silent. With that, he decided to talk to Umi.

"Umi, I'm sorry." He voiced out, "I know I was rude to you before, and the things I did to you and Kotori are out of line. I hope to seek your forgiveness." He then bowed down.

"A...actually, I...I was at fault too." Umi looked at him, "I let my emotions get the better of me. When you didn't choose me to be your girlfriend, I was unhappy. I was mad. Because of that, I always tried to find fault with you and blamed you for everything without understanding why you did it. I was so unreasonable, and I'm sorry, Hiroshi-chan. I...I hope to seek your forgiveness too." She bowed down after her speech.

He extended his arm to her, "I hope we can put the past behind us, and continue to be best friends." Umi smiled at him and grasped his hand. They shook hands and hugged each other. Kotori and Yosuke smiled upon seeing that.

* * *

The next morning, Umi went to the supermarket to buy some groceries. She needed to prepare dinner for her family as her family day is coming soon. She isn't looking forward to it at all. 

She wasn’t close to her sister at all, considering she traveled with her friends almost every single month. She is estranged from her father over the inheritance of their family dojo. The closest family member to her was her mother, but she doesn't even talk that much to her anymore ever since she moved out. 

Umi sighed as she thought about her family day last year. There wasn't a lot of interaction, and she ended up going home way earlier than expected as her father didn't bother to talk to her. This was the first time, however, that the family had reunited again for the first time in six years. After she bought some vegetables and meat, she walked out of the market. She was about to head home when she heard someone calling out for her.

She turned to her back and saw a man waving at her. She groaned immediately as soon as she recognized him. He was the creepy, rich guy who liked her during her university days. 

"It's good to see you again, Umi-chan." He walked to her, "It's been quite a long time since I've seen your pretty face in university, How are you doing now?"

"I...I'm doing fine." Umi wanted to get out of this real quick, "Look, Charles-san, I have to go..."

"That quick?" He frowned, "I was thinking of treating you lunch at a very nice restaurant. I wanna catch up with you, you know. We are good friends, aren't we?"

Umi's eyes widened in shock upon hearing that. She remembered being really friendly with him as he was her partner for many group projects, and she didn't want to offend him in any way. She stopped talking to him upon knowing from his friend that he liked her and thinks of doing lewd things to her. However, he continued to talk to her, and she always kept the conversation short. She should've cut off all ties with him and told him that she doesn't want to associate with him anymore. She regretted her decision to even have small talks with him.

"C'mon, Umi-chan, I know you might be quite busy, but I just wanna catch-up with you for a few minutes of your life." Charles uttered, "I've never seen you again after we graduated. It was like you disappeared. I was sad that one of my best and only female friends didn't keep in touch with me. I hope we could sit down and have a nice friendly conversation. I'm really interested to find out more about that idol group you're in. It's very rare to find you. If I don't have lunch with you today, I may not have the chance to do so again. Pretty please, Umi-chan?"

Umi sighed and nodded her head. Maybe he had changed from his old ways. Maybe now he's really a nice person. He looks very professional now, so surely he wouldn't think or try something funny. She will feel bad too if she rejects his offer.

In a restaurant, the two of them ordered a plate of fried rice. While they are waiting for the food, Umi strikes a conversation with Charles.

"So, um, what are you working as right now, Charles-san?" She questioned.

"A doctor at a hospital." He replied, "I work at the Nishikino General Hospital, and I'm a colleague of Maki-chan until she resigned to become an idol. Tell me, Umi-chan. What's your idol group about? I'm very fascinated about it. I've read about it on the internet, and it seems like you have a bunch of songs. You didn't tell me this started in your high school."

"Well..." Umi tried to think of an excuse, "I forgot to tell you about it. I'm sorry." 

"It's okay. Anyways, I listened to some of the songs. Most of them are bops. The ones I love a lot are Wild Stars, Datte Datte Aa Mujou, and Moment Ring."

Umi took a few seconds before realizing that the songs he enjoyed are her center songs, "You like songs that have me as the center? Is it really that by chance?"

"Of course not." Charles looked at her, "It's because I still love you after all these years, Umi-chan. Ever since you have stepped into my life, I felt blissed from head to toe. You're so pretty and cute. Your voice is as gentle as the sea. Be with me, and I guarantee you your life would be smooth-sailing."

"Umm, Charles-san, I don't think this is the right moment for this..." She was starting to get a little uncomfortable with it.

"No, it is." He held her hands, "I wanted to confess after our graduation party, but you walked away without saying goodbye to me. I cannot miss this chance again. I love you, Umi Sonoda. Please let me be your boyfriend."

"Y...you're asking too much, Charles-san..." Umi tried to shake free of his hands, but he gripped hers tightly.

"I'll do anything for you, Umi-chan." He continued, "Anything you want. You want me to quit my doctor's job? You want me to buy you a new house? Or perhaps, you want to have sex with me? We can do that, of course. We can pleasure each other 'til we're happy."

"You sick bastard!" Umi screamed as she shook free of his hands and poured water at him, "You're still creepy and disgusting, just like how you were in university! You still have those dirty thoughts in your head, like what your friend had told me before! The reason I didn't want to talk to you or have any friendship with you is because you're sick and deranged! That's why nobody in university dared to go near you, you creep! I only talked to you because we had to work together on our projects! I don't feel anything for a pervert like you! In fact, you disgust me. Let me say this again; I do not like you at all, so you can dream on. I never want to see your face again." She then walked off as the waitress went to his table with two plates of fried rice.

"Miss, may I ask you to pack one of the fried rice and put them into a container?" He asked. She nodded her head, placed a plate of fried rice in front of him, and went off to the kitchen. Charles clenched his fists, angry that his crush has rejected him cold heartedly.

"You'll regret doing that, Umi Sonoda." He thought, "Mark my words." 

* * *

A week later, the members of µ's were having an off-day from work. After a few days of working, they ran out of song ideas and couldn't come up with lyrics no matter how hard they tried. Thus, Hiroshi decided they should all have a day off for them to relax and rest. 

Rin, Hanayo, Maki, Nico, Eli, and Nozomi went to an amusement park to have some fun. Originally, it was supposed to be between Rin and Hanayo, but the former thought it would be fun to bring everyone along. Sadly, the second years couldn't make it as they already have their own outing. 

Once the six of them reached the amusement park, Rin excitedly ran in, pulling Hanayo along by the hand. Hanayo could only scream 'Wait up, Rin-chan" and 'dareka tasukete' as she tried to catch up with her best friend, huffing in between breaths. While Eli went to the bathroom, Maki and Nico went to Nozomi.

"Remember what we told you yesterday, Nozomi?" Maki asked, "Stay calm, and try your best to strike a normal and friendly conversation with her. Of course, if you don't have anything really interesting or important to say, don't say it."

"Take deep breaths in between talking." Nico added on "Maybe you can add bits of flirting. That's how I got Maki-chan's heart anyway. Right, Maki-chan?"

"What...what are you talking about?" Maki looked away, her cheeks blushing, "She just wanted to be friendly with Eli. You're making it sound like Nozomi wanted to be together with her."

"Nozomi, I can help you with romance." Nico told the shrine maiden, "I can teach you how to flirt really well, even Eli would fall for you. If it worked with Maki-chan, it would work for Eli too." Maki's whole face turned red and she slapped Nico's shoulders, in which the latter screamed out in pain.

Nozomi just laughed at it, "Thanks for the help, you two. I really want to try my best to be normal around Eli-chi. I'm glad you two are willing to give me tips. I don't wanna step into the romance stage. It's better for us to be besties."

"Good luck, Nozomi." Maki grinned, "I believe in you." 

* * *

Elsewhere, Kotori stood outside a shopping mall as she waited for Umi to be out. The two of them met at Umi's house, and they went to the shopping mall nearby to get three bottles of water. They were supposed to meet Honoka at her aunt's inn and make some teru teru bōzu, but Umi complained of a stomach ache, thus she is in the bathroom now. 

Kotori looked at her phone and checked the timing. At this rate, if Umi continues to stay in the bathroom, they will be late for their meeting. She started panicking. She didn't want to be late. She feels bad to keep people waiting. Just then, Umi came out, and Kotori heaved a sigh of relief.

"I'm so sorry, Kotori." Umi apologized, "I don't know what caused the stomach ache, but I guess it would be the mocha my sister had bought from her recent trip. It tasted a bit weird."

Kotori giggled, "Perhaps you have a weak stomach, Umi-chan." She then called for a cab. She managed to book one, and it'll arrive in ten minutes. Kotori looked at Umi for a while before she said something.

"Your braided hair looks good on you, and your white dress is pretty too!" Kotori complimented Umi. The latter blushed and looked away.

"Thanks, Kotori." Umi said, "B...by the way, can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead. What is it?"

"This morning, me and Yosuke-chan met up for breakfast." Umi explained, "We were talking about his crush, and it really sounds like me. I found it weird, but he told me it was someone else that has the same personality as me."

Kotori thought Yosuke couldn't cover up his lies properly, and that anyone could see through it, but now she thought Umi was very dense when it came to romance. After all, Hiroshi rejected her, and that caused her to lose hope in it.

"At first, I thought he liked me, because me and his crush have an uncanny resemblance." Umi continued, "However, I feel that's not the case after all. Why would he like me? I'm just an average woman with average looks. Getting rejected shows that I'm not pretty. I bet his crush looked way better than me."

"Umi-chan," Kotori patted her shoulder, "You're such a pretty lady. I'm sure there are men out there who will fall in love just with your looks! You're also so caring and kind towards others. Failing once in romance doesn't mean you shouldn't try again."

"Yosuke-chan also told me that someone will definitely fall in love with me, but I think he's just trying to console me, making sure I feel happy." Umi sighed, "I don't think I have the courage to try again, Kotori.I believed in it once, and it was a miserable experience. I'm better off knowing that I'll always be single, and that no guy would like me." 

Kotori noticed that Umi's confidence level was dropping a lot thanks to the rejection. She was about to comfort her best friend when her phone rang. She took it out of her bag, and in the midst of it, her wallet dropped out of her bag due to her rushing to take her phone out.

She squatted down and picked her wallet up, but a picture of her and Hiroshi in her wallet flew a few meters away. She told Umi to wait for her and walked to the end of the sidewalk, where the photo landed. She picked the photo up and answered the phone.

"Kotori-chan, are you coming yet?" It was Honoka on the other line, "You and Umi-chan didn't respond to my message in the group chat, so I figured I'd call you."

"We're waiting for our cab to come, Honoka-chan." Kotori replied, "We'll be coming in fifteen minutes. I'll see you at the inn."

"See you!" With that, Honoka hung up. Kotori placed the photo back into her wallet and turned around. She immediately got a shock when she saw a few men gagging Umi with a cloth and pushing her into a van as she struggled to break free.

Kotori couldn't believe her eyes. A kidnapping was happening right in front of her eyes, and it’s happening to her friend. She stood rooted for a moment, unsure of what to do. After a few seconds, she decided to call the police. As she was about to call the police, someone covered her mouth from behind with a cloth and gripped her arms. She struggled to break free of the clutches as the person holding her is strong and muscular. She tried to scream out loud too, but all that could be heard are her soft muffles for help, thanks to the cloth. Soon, she was pushed into another van, and the two vehicles went off.

* * *

In the studio's gaming room, Hiroshi and Yosuke are playing an intense round of a cooperative shooting game. They shouted curse words out loud as they hit the buttons with force on their controllers.

"Shoot the enemy, Hiroshi!" Yosuke screamed, "Shoot the fucking enemy! He's right there!"

"I'm not fucking blind, god damn it!" Hiroshi yelled back, "I'm tryna collect this pickup here first!" A few seconds later, Yosuke's character got shot.

"Heal me...HEAL ME, YOU FUCKING IDIOT!" He cursed as a teammate left him to die, "What's the point of teamwork if they can't even play?! They're so bad at this game!"

"Take the enemy's weapon, you stupid teammate!" Hiroshi strained his eyes on the television, "Take it! It's right there...WHAT THE FUCK?!" The game over screen then appeared in front of their screen as their last teammate was slaughtered.

"That was a really bad round." Yosuke sighed, "Bad matchmaking, and dumb teammates who are better destroying their consoles than playing the game."

"Yeah, some players really suck." Hiroshi placed the controller on the bed behind them. He then heard his phone ringing. He took it out of his pocket and saw that Honoka was calling. 

He answered the call, "Hello, Honoka? Is anything the matter?"

"Hiroshi-chan, could you help me call Kotori-chan or Umi-chan right now?" She asked, "They didn't answer my calls or reply to my text messages. I thought you knew where they were, so I called you."

"Kotori went out in the morning to meet Umi, and that's all I know." He responded, "Perhaps they are busy with something. Aren't they supposed to go out with you?"

"Yeah, they are. However, Umi-chan is usually very fast in replying. She would definitely call me back when she missed a call from me, but today is different for some reason. I called her like fifteen different times and she never even messaged me back or tried to call me even once."

"Okay, hold on, I'll ask Yosuke."

He then turned to Yosuke, "Yo, bro, help me call Umi and Kotori. See if they answer your phone." 

"But why though?" Yosuke asked.

"Can you just do what I say first, and then ask later?" 

Yosuke obeyed and whipped his phone out to call the two women. None of them are reachable. The calls always directed him to voicemail. 

"They didn't answer their phones." Upon heading his answer, Hiroshi became worried for his girlfriend. She couldn't be contacted or messaged. What's worse is that he did not ask her where she was going, so he's unsure of where she might be now. He's feeling very anxious now.

"Hello? Hiroshi-chan?" Honoka called out, "Hiroshi-chan! Why are you so silent? What are you thinking?"

"The worst outcome." Hiroshi's voice is shaking a little, "Kotori and Umi might be..."

"No, I don't think that happened. Let's not jump into conclusions. We'll try calling them again before going to the places the two of them I think might be at."

"And if we can't find them?" Hiroshi asked.

"We'll call the police if that happens, but let's not pray for the worst." She replied, "We'll go around and find. Meet up for lunch?"

"Okay." He then ended the call. 

Yosuke noticed a worried Hiroshi sighing, "What happened, Hiroshi? You don't seem to be at ease."

* * *

Back in the amusement park, Maki and Nico observed how Nozomi acted around Eli. So far, it seemed pretty good. The former was having a hearty conversation with the blonde, and both of them appeared to be very happy with each other.

"Thanks to the number one idol's advice, Nozomi is performing very well with her crush!" Nico said proudly, "I am a genius when it comes to this kind of romantic relationships."

Maki ignored her nonsense, "Nozomi said she wanted to be friends with Eli, not start a relationship with her. What part of that sentence do you not understand?"

"Shut up! Let me feel smart at least!" Nico pouted, "But why doesn't Eli want to be with Nozomi? They both like each other, don't they?"

"They do, but they're just scared." Maki explained, "Both of them are scared that their friendship will be broken if either one confesses to the other. They don't know that they like each other too."

"Then we should tell them, shouldn't we? We could get them together, like how we did!"

"Let's respect Nozomi's and Eli's wish, alright, Nico-chan? It's their choice. I don't wanna force them. It's best if they found it out themselves."

"Hey, girls, let's play bumper cars!" Rin exclaimed, "They've added it a few months ago, and me and Kayo-chin didn't see this the last time we came here!"

"Sounds like a good idea." Eli said, "I've never really tried bumper cars too. I have seen many of my friends coming here to play this, and it looks really fun. I am interested to see how this goes."

Nico saw this as an opportunity to do something, "Let's make teams, and there will be equal members in each team since there are six of us here. There's a game of whirlyball happening in the court. We are supposed to score the ball into the hoop as we defend against the other team. We'll take turns to go against each other. The team with the lowest total score needs to buy us lunch."

"Great!" Rin pumped her fist into the air before placing her arm on Hanayo's shoulder, "I pick Kayo-chin!"

"I'll pick Maki-chan." Nico smirked, "That leaves Eli and Nozomi to team up." Nozomi was about to say something when Eli interrupted them. 

"We will definitely win you guys with our strong teamwork!" Eli told her.

"You're so bold to challenge the number one school idol!" Nico cackled, "You'll surely lose against me! Don't come crying to me later when you fork out your money to buy us lunch!"

"Don't be so cocky now, Nico. You don't know what will happen next. I will shoot the ball into the hoop faster than you can react. You're no match for my reflexes." The two growled at each other before they started firing insults at each other.

Eli then went to Nozomi, "Let's win this thing, Nozomi!" Nozomi smiled and nodded her head. Maki looked at Nico, who had a cheeky smile plastered on her face.

"You're doing this on purpose, right?" Maki questioned with a straight face.

"Hey, that's to bond them together." Nico responded, "It doesn't have to be love. It could be a close friendship. Stop being so serious about it. I heard Nozomi loud and clear." She then skipped towards the bumper cars. Maki shook her head and followed her girlfriend. 

Meanwhile, the two vans arrived outside of a deserted house in the middle of the forest. The masked men brought Umi and Kotori out of the vans and brought them into the house. Umi was surprised and shocked to see Kotori. She didn't expect her best friend to be taken away with her. Kotori was in a way worse state than Umi. While the latter had people holding her shoulders tightly, the former had her hands tied behind her back and was gagged.

They pushed Kotori into a room while the rest brought Umi to the basement, where she saw Charles.

"Leave her on the sofa." He told the men. They shoved her towards it, and then left and closed the door. Umi glared at him.

"What is this? Why did you bring me here?" Umi asked angrily, "And why did you bring Kotori along? You even had her tied up! What the hell's wrong with you? You sick bastard!"

"Ahh, I'm sorry to have brought you here out of nowhere. My mistake, Umi-chan." Charles stood up, "You see, I wanted you to be mine. You know how sad I was when you rejected me straight away? I was so heartbroken, you know. The apple of my eye...told me to get lost. Normally, I'd just be annoyed and let it go if you were any other girl but..."

He went to her and placed his hands on her cheeks, forcing her to face him, "You're my crush. My favorite girl. I can't do anything physical to you. I don't want to hurt you. Yet, people are already crushing on you. That's why I brought you here. I can't miss the chance to claim you as mine. You'll be mine forever. Because if I can't have you, no one else can."

"You're a sicko!" Umi screamed, pushing his hands away, "I will never ever get together with you! You're a pervert! Why the hell would I get along with a mentally challenged person like you?!"

"That's too early to say, Umi-chan. You haven't known the real me. I've changed. I'm a kind, wonderful, handsome man who has a successful career. And you'll be my faithful wife. How do I say it in a good way? It's like...a forced marriage, but a good one. We'll get to know each other better, and then you'll fall for me because of how good I am."

"Disgusting."

"Say what you wanna say now, but your mindset's gonna change when you know my true self. Anyways, I took your friend here and tied her up so that she doesn't do anything funny again. She tried calling the cops on us. Nothing should be getting in our way, am I right, Umi-chan?" She just ignored him and looked away.

"Well, you better not try anything funny too, Umi-chan." He told her, "My men are outside guarding this room, and your phone's with me, so I doubt you can do much. However, you might think of a way. I don't know. I don't want to do anything to you, but I would if I have to. I'll bring in lunch later." He then left the room and locked the door. 

Umi sighed. She was now stuck in this creepy guy's house for an indefinite period of time, and she hated him so much. She wanted to save Kotori so badly, but the locked door and his men made her unable to do so. She groaned and laid down on the sofa as she thought of ways to escape.

* * *

A few minutes later, Hiroshi, Yosuke, and Honoka walked out of the police station. They did try to search for the two girls, but they couldn't find the duo. 

"Let's pray the police are able to find some evidence that leads to their disappearances." Yosuke said in a worried tone.

"And I thought I was the most worried here." Hiroshi replied, "You are obviously more worried for them than I am."

"Of course!" Yosuke retorted, "My crush is missing! Do you expect me to feel at ease? Not only will it affect then, it'll affect µ's too! It's highly likely that she's kidnapped, along with Kotori-chan, considering Umi-chan didn't reply to my messages or calls when she usually does. What do the kidnappers want with them?"

"They're going to be found alive, Yosuke-chan." Honoka patted his shoulder to assure him, "Have faith in the police force. I'm sure they will be able to track down the kidnappers and give them the right punishment."

"I really do hope so." Yosuke sighed, "I pray that they're going to be safe. If I have to sacrifice my life to save her, I will do so."

"Let's not jump to that conclusion quickly, Yosuke." Hiroshi uttered, "The police officers will find them, and bring them back to us safely. You get that? Don't let your mind run wild." Yosuke forced a fake smile and nodded his head. 

"You said Umi-chan and Kotori-chan are kidnapped?" Nozomi asked as she was speaking on the phone with Hiroshi, "Oh no. I'm worried for them too. I pray for their safety...Alright, I'll talk to you later, Hiroshi-chan." She then ended the call. 

The six girls were now in a fast food restaurant, and they're currently having lunch paid for by Nozomi and Eli. The other four said their thanks before munching on the food.

"What did Hiroshi say?" Eli asked with concern.

"Umi-chan and Kotori-chan are reported missing, and Hiroshi-chan thinks they're kidnapped." Nozomi told the blonde, "I really hope they're fine."

"Me too."

Nozomi took out her cards and picked one out. She looked at the card and heaved a sigh of relief. She flipped the card to let Eli see it.

"What does that mean?" Eli asked.

"It means Umi-chan and Kotori-chan are going to be saved." Nozomi grinned, "They will definitely be safe and sound."

* * *

That night, Umi was waiting for her dinner to come. She had finally thought of a rough plan to escape. She was planning to free Kotori, and the both of them would run away from this house as fast as possible.

Charles would bring in the food here. Umi just had to find something that could knock him out cold. She would then run to the room Kotori was held captive in and free her. With that strategy in mind, she tried to look for something that could deal a hard impact to his head.

She found a short wooden rod on the floor that could do the trick. She went back to the sofa and sat on it, waiting patiently and quietly for Charles to come back, hiding the rod under it.

"I'm here with your dinner, my sweetie." Charles came into the basement with a tray of food. He placed them on the table and gave her a spoon.

"Look what I have cooked today!" He said proudly, "Steamed fish, cabbage, and tofu! I also ordered a plate of the manjuu from Homura! I know you like them, as you stated in one of your interviews, so I specially bought them for you!"

"Are your men having dinner now too?" Umi asked.

"Of course! I'm a good boss. I won't starve my men to death trying to guard this house. I'll put some ingredients on your bowl first. I can't let my queen do the hard work, can I?" Umi nodded her head.

As Charles was taking some cabbage and placing it on her bowl of rice, she slowly took out the wooden rod. She then held it up high and whacked his head with it. He fell down onto the floor, groaning in pain as he dropped the bowl of rice. Umi took this chance to quickly run out of the room

She sprinted to the bedroom, where a hogtied Kotori is crying softly, trying to free herself from the ropes, to no avail. Umi went to Kotori and tapped her face.

"I'm here to save you." Umi whispered, "Be quiet so that we can escape." As she is about to unbind the ropes, two men from behind grabbed Umi. One held her hands behind her back. She tried to scream but the other one covered her mouth with his hand. Kotori muffled and shook her head in fright as the men brought Umi back down to the basement.

"Boss, we caught her for you." One of the men said, "She tried to free her other friend, but we managed to stop her in time. What should we do with her now?"

"Prevent her from escaping." Charles rubbed the back of his head. Upon hearing that, the men tied Umi to a pole. They then took more ropes and tied Umi's hands behind her back and also her legs to prevent her from escaping.

Charles took some tape and taped her mouth, "You naughty girl. Trying to kill me before you escape with your best friend? That's impossible. I knew you would try to escape, so I had a few men stationed around the house. I lied to you about them having dinner. They had it way earlier. You think you can deceive me. You can't."

Umi muffled as she tried to wriggle free of the ropes, but they were so tightly tied it was actually hurting her hands and legs. 

"Usually, those who try to defy me will be killed." Charles picked up the wooden rod, "But you're my princess. There's no way I'm killing you. That doesn't mean you won't have a punishment." 

He proceeded to hit her on the leg with the rod thrice as she muffled in agony. He then threw the rod away and grabbed her breasts with force. Umi muffled in pain again, this time loudly. 

"Be a good girl to me tomorrow, and I'll consider giving you a bit of leniency." He bellowed, "Disobey me, and I guarantee you your punishment would be way worse than today. Understood?" Umi weakly nodded her head. He then let go and went out of the room with his men, not before locking the door. Umi continued to squirm, but the ropes won't give way. She started to get scared and shiver in fear as she prayed Yosuke-chan and her friends could come and save her.

* * *

The next morning, Hiroshi and Yosuke met up. Honoka wanted to join them, but she was down with the flu, and Yosuke advised her to stay at home to take a good rest. They went to a café and waited there for an hour and a half for the phone call from the police force.

"It has been ninety minutes, god damn it." Yosuke groaned "Are we really going to continue waiting like idiots for the call? I really feel uneasy doing nothing. I want to go out and find them again."

"Patience is a virtue, Yosuke." Hiroshi sighed. "Besides, we couldn't even find them yesterday. What makes you think we can find them today? It's best if we leave it to the police. We don't even know if the kidnappers are armed or not. We can't just rush in there and try to save the two girls. We'll be killed. The policemen can tackle them down. I believe in them that they can arrest the kidnappers and rescue Umi and Kotori."

"But I can't just sit here and stare at the sky while we wait for a phone call that probably won't come anytime soon. I'm worried something bad might happen to Umi-chan and Kotori-chan at this very moment. I will go out and do a search again" 

"Don't be rash, Yosuke..."

"I'm. Not. Rash. Now, let me go and find Umi-chan and Kotori-chan." Yosuke stood up and went towards the door. He was about to walk out when Hiroshi received a call.

"Hello?" Hiroshi answered the call. "Okay...really...He saw them? I see...okay...alright, thanks for the information. We'll get to it right away." He then ended the call.

"Was that the police officers?" Yosuke asked anxiously, "What did they say?"

"They said a taxi driver saw them being taken away in two vans as he went to the mall to pick them up." Hiroshi explained, "He followed them to a forest before he stopped, because his taxi couldn't go into that terrain. The officers will report there now, and we can tag along."

"Alright, what are we waiting for? Let's get out of here right now." 

* * *

Minutes later, in the mysterious house, two men are guarding the room where Kotori is held captive. They looked at the woman, who was still muffling and struggling with her binds.

"She's so goddamn cute." One of them commented. "No wonder people really like her. Not only is she pretty, but she has a very sexy body too. I really want to do things with her."

"Yo, remember what Boss told us?" The other man replied, "We can't touch her at all, or we'll be dead meat, although I too want to do some sexy things with her."

"C'mon, we're not going to fuck her." The first man retorted, "I just wanna touch her. That is super harmless."

Upon hearing that, Kotori looked at them in fear and slowly pushed herself away towards the headboard. They looked at her before looking at each other.

"Doesn't hurt to feel her for a while, ain't it?" The second man grinned. Both of them then advanced towards Kotori as she squirmed away from them until her back hit the headboard. As they got closer, she started crying as she was scared.

Out of nowhere, police officers barged in and pulled the two men away from her before pushing them down to the ground and handcuffing their hands. Hiroshi and Yosuke ran into the room.

When Hiroshi saw Kotori, he quickly ran to her and untied her. He took out her gag and hugged her, "I'm so glad you're okay." She hugged him back while wailing on his shirt.

Yosuke wondered where Umi could be. Hiroshi knew what he was thinking, and told him to wait for more police officers to arrive before going in to save Umi. Yosuke ignored him and went around the whole house to try and find his crush.

"Hiroshi-chan, go chase after him." Kotori slowly stopped crying, "I know the boss is cunning, and he might injure Yosuke-chan or Umi-chan..."

"No, Kotori." Hiroshi declared, "I will stay with you until backup comes. I'll bring you to the police car to get some rest, and then I'll go after Yosuke."

After a few seconds, he saw the basement. That was the last place he had not checked yet. He opened the door and saw Charles holding a knife at Umi’s throat.

"I knew you would come." Charles snarled, "Your footsteps are so loud. Step any closer, and I'll slit her throat."

"You can't run away anymore, mister, so I suggest putting that knife down." Yosuke said, "The police are here. There's no way of escaping. Kidnapping is a very serious crime, and you might get the death sentence for it. You'd better give up."

"Are you trying to impose fear on me?" Charles growled, "Because it doesn't work on me. Now, get out of here and tell your police friends to steer clear of my way, or I'll kill this beautiful woman. After all, if I can't have her, no one can."

Just a few seconds after that, Charles dropped the knife by accident due to his right hand twitching. Yosuke quickly ran to the knife and kicked it away before Charles could even pick it up. The two of them then got into a physical fight while Umi tried to free herself from the tight ropes that were sinking into her skin. She tried wriggling as hard as she could, but to no avail.

Yosuke threw a punch at Charles's face and kicked him on the stomach, which sent him flying to the other end of the warehouse. Charles saw that the knife was beside him and quickly took it. He sprinted to Yosuke and tried to stab him, but he dodged.

Yosuke pushed the sofa towards Charles before booting him on the face. Out of a sudden, Yosuke felt pain in his body. He grabbed his chest and breathed in and out heavily for oxygen.

Charles saw this as a chance to attack and slashed Yosuke's left cheek while he was distracted by the body pain. Yosuke groaned in pain as he touched his cheek and saw blood on his hands. He spotted a wooden rod and picked it up. 

As Charles was about to do the same thing again, Yosuke whacked Charles's face as hard as he could, making Charles drop the knife. Yosuke kicked it away and kept on hitting him at the face. Defeated, Charles fell onto the ground. Yosuke went to Umi and untied her. The moment she was free, she immediately hugged him.

"I was so scared, Yosuke-chan." She cried to him softly. "I was scared he was going to do something to me. He was so scary and creepy, Yosuke-chan,"

He smiled at her and patted her head. "I'm here now. You don't have to be scared anymore." 

"Your face." She touched the cut on his cheek and looked at him worriedly. "Are you going to be okay?"

"It's a minor injury, Umi-chan." Yosuke responded, "Now, let's get out of here and let the police arrest this bastard." Umi smiled and placed her arm around him before walking towards the door.

Charles slowly got up and took the knife. He cursed under his breath before charging towards Umi with the knife. Yosuke managed to see him lunging towards his crush.

"Watch out!" Yosuke pushed Umi away and got stabbed by Charles on the chest. Yosuke stared at the knife before spitting out blood from his mouth. When Charles took the knife out forcefully, Yosuke fell onto the floor. Umi saw that and she was shocked.

The officers barged into the room and aimed their guns at Charles. The doctor looked around for any signs of escape, but he was totally cornered. He aimed the knife as his own heart and stabbed himself, killing him instantly.

Umi ran to Yosuke and squatted beside him. "Yosuke-chan! You're going to be alright. Just hang in there! Help will arrive soon!"

"I...I...I'm glad...that I could...do something for my loved one...before I die..." Yosuke huffed.

"You're not going to die, Yosuke-chan." Umi held his hands, "Listen to me. You're going to survive. You're going to get out of this alive, and recover from your injuries."

"I don't...think...I can...make it..." Yosuke replied weakly. "I'm...an old man...I can't...take the...body pain...anymore..."

"You can. I believe in you." Tears started flowing down from Umi's eyes, "Stay alive for me, please. I don't want to lose you. I can't lose you."

"Umi-chan...there's something...I want to say...before I go..." Yosuke huffed in and out more vigorously, "I...I...I love you, Umi-chan..." He then turned unconscious as his eyes closed.

"Yosuke-chan!" Umi shook his body, but there was no reaction.

"You can't die on me, Yosuke-chan!" She screamed as she continued shaking his body, "You can't leave me like that! Wake up, Yosuke-chan." She then lied her head on his chest and started crying her heart out.


	29. Bonding Time

Umi and Hiroshi followed the surgeons as they pushed Yosuke on a stretcher to the emergency ward. Yosuke was now in a critical condition thanks to the stab he got earlier, and was at risk of dying. Umi held his hands tightly and looked at him.

Once they reached the emergency ward, the surgeons told her and Hiroshi to stay outside and wait. Umi sat down on a seat while Hiroshi leaned against the wall.

She couldn't help feeling guilty. Her issue with Charles was hers alone to begin with, but Yosuke got roped into it, and now he has a chance of not making it out alive. She buried her face in her hands and weeped.

"You know, Umi, there's something you need to know." Hiroshi spoke out, "I wanted to tell you about it after we're done with the lyrics of the song we're stuck on, but now, I guess not." 

He breathed in and out before he continued, "Yosuke has a crush on you ever since he got to know µ's. He is in love with you. When I first started reforming µ's, he was very excited about it. He couldn't wait to meet his favorite idol, and it made him even happier that he's going to be working alongside you as a manager. He talks about you every time when we're in our university days, telling me how much he admires you, so I understand how he feels when you, Honoka, and Kotori agreed to gather the members of µ's and be managed under me. He was so elated. You should've seen the smile on his face.

"Ever since the idol activities start, he has never failed to try and help you and µ's. Every time things go awry, he's the one to fix it. The things he does are all for you. Remember when I rejected you? He was the one beside you, comforting you, cheering you up. He was there at your darkest points of life. He even sacrificed his life because he wanted to save you. He couldn't bear to see you die. He'd rather get killed." He then sighed before carrying on his speech.

"He deeply loves you from the bottom of his heart. He's really a good man, Umi. He is twice your age, I get that. I just think it's wasted to let go of a man who loves you wholeheartedly just like that. He deserves your full undivided love, not me. I'm not worthy of it. Now, if you excuse me, I'll go and take a look at Kotori. I hope she's coping well." He then walked away. 

She took out her phone and looked at a picture she took with Yosuke. She hugged her phone tightly. She tried her best to prepare herself mentally to hear the surgeons' remarks about Yosuke's condition. A few hours later, the surgeons came out. Umi saw them and immediately ran to them.

"How is my friend, doctors?" She asked worriedly. She stared at them, waiting and hoping for a positive answer. Her heart was beating at a million miles a minute, and she felt like it could explode at any time. She prayed that nothing bad would happen to Yosuke.

"Sonoda-san, right?" One of the surgeons cleared his throat. "Your friend is out of the woods for now. His condition might act up again, and we don't know when, but it could be fatal. If he doesn't wake up within two days, then...prepare for the worst." They then walked away. 

Umi was shocked upon hearing that. She couldn't believe that her best friend might actually die, and it's all thanks to her. She knelt down on the floor and started bawling her eyes out. 

**—µ's—**

She took a chair and sat beside Yosuke. She picked his hands up and held it while looking at him. There were so many medical devices connected to him, and it looks very scary.

"Please, Yosuke-chan," Umi thought to herself. "You gotta keep fighting on. I'll be here to support you in every way. Just don't die on me, please. I really need you in my life. I can't live without you."

She suddenly remembered one of her encounters with Yosuke...

_Umi and Honoka looked at Yosuke surprisingly. They got into the taxi and passed him the paper. He glanced at it and typed the address in his GPS app. Immediately, it showed him the directions to the hotel._

_"Sorry for causing so much trouble, mister." Honoka said, "We are not so familiar with English although we're here for the second time."_

_"Ms Honoka Kosaka, maybe next time you should learn how to speak English when you step into America." He told her, "It'll be beneficial here. Call me Lee."_

_"You know my name?"_

_"Hey, I'm a fan of µ's." Yosuke replied, "I've listened to every one of your songs. My favorite singer is the one sitting beside you, Honoka-chan."_

_"M...m...me?" Umi is taken aback, "I...I..."_

_"For real, though." He laughed, "You really had a good singing voice. Your voice soothes me."_

_"T...thanks..." Umi's cheeks blushed._

_"Anyways, you girls are here for the fashion show, right?"_

_"How did you know that?" Honoka questioned._

_"Your former µ's member and friend Kotori is going there as a special guest. I got to say, Kotori works for a very famous clothing company in America, especially New York. Her clothes are always sold out within minutes, like they're some special limited edition clothes. The designs are really pretty. But that's pretty expected for me, seeing that the dresses you girls wore during your performances were made by Kotori."_

_"You know us quite well."_

_"Oh yeah, I remembered there is a CD here." As Yosuke stopped at a red traffic light, he rummaged through the small drawers of his Toyota Corolla for it. He managed to find it and took it out. It was a compact disc._

_He inserted it into the car's CD player and turned to the girls, "This is one of your songs. 'Snow halation', if I'm not wrong. I like it very much."_

_The song then started playing and he went swaying slightly from left to right, singing along. Umi and Honoka smiled at each other. They are glad people are still listening to the songs µ's made although it's been years since they broke up._

She smiled upon reminiscing that memory of hers. She was very glad that she has met a very big fan of hers. She couldn't be more grateful to him. Every time she's feeling down, she would call him, talking to him about her small problems. He would be there to comfort her, assure her that everything's alright, and that there's always a solution for everything. She really hoped Yosuke would wake up.

In Kotori's ward, Hiroshi poured a cup of water for Kotori and gave it to her. 

"How are you feeling now, Kotori?" He questioned, "Are you feeling better now?"

"I am." She smiled, "Thank you, Hiroshi-chan. If it's not for you, Yosuke-chan, and the police, I wouldn't have been well right now. I couldn't even dare to think what would've happened if I was still there..."

"Shh, let's not talk about it, alright?" He placed his finger on her lips, "Let's not be reminded of the horrific memories."

"How's Yosuke-chan now?" Kotori queried, "Is he okay? Is he doing well now?"

Hiroshi sighed and shook his head, "He's still unconscious right now, according to Umi. If he doesn't wake up in two days, he would...die." The ward was quiet for a while as the both of them looked down. They're sad that this is even happening. One was losing her manager, the other one was losing his brother for life.

"Umi-chan must be feeling very devastated right now." She said. "I pray that Yosuke-chan is safe, and Umi-chan will be happy again."

"Me too." Hiroshi added on. "It's a shame if he dies. He is such a big fan of µ's. It would be sad if he can't see you girls succeed." The both of them then sighed.

* * *

During dinnertime, Eli heard the news from their manager and she relayed it to the other five members. 

"That serious?" Nozomi asked worriedly.

"Has the pervert been caught?" Hanayo went in next.

"He's not caught. He stabbed himself and consequently died." Eli replied.

"I really hope Yosuke-chan will be fine." Maki emitted a deep, long breath. "He has done a lot for µ's. This isn't how his goodwill should be repaid."

"Well, with the number one idol in the universe praying for his health, he will never die." Nico declared. "The gods will bless him, just like..."

"Shut up, will you?" Maki chopped her head. "This is not the time for a joke."

"That wasn't a joke!"

"But, in all seriousness, I want him to survive, nya~" Rin frowned. "I still have not shown him my schedule for running and jogging. He wanted to learn it to keep himself healthy."

"I also wanted to show him my idol collection, and watch The Legend of Legendary Idols complete DVD box set with him." Hanayo voiced out. "He told me that he wants to know how other idols present themselves."

"I've yet to show him my ballet moves." Eli spoke. "He was fascinated with the ballet video I did the other time, and now he wants to see me do it live."

"I didn't get to show him my fortune telling skills with my tarot cards." Nozomi uttered.

"He wanted me to play the piano too." Maki said. "He told me he likes classical music, and I know how to play a few of them."

"He he he." Nico cleared her throat, "I wanted to show how a professional idol would sing..." As she was talking, she gets interrupted by Eli.

"This shows how close Yosuke is to us." Eli sighed, "He always manages to talk to us, gives us life advice, and even takes the effort to socialize with us by wanting to know more about our interests. He is a really good man, and we all can't afford to lose him."

"Don't interrupt me when I'm talking!" Nico whined, but was then met with Maki's glare. She smiled sheepishly and shut her mouth up.

"I want to go and visit Yosuke-chan tomorrow." Nozomi said, "What about the rest?" The rest collectively agreed with her. 

* * *

In Yosuke's ward, Umi was still looking at him, hoping for any signs of him waking up. He didn't move an inch for the past eight hours, much to her disappointment. She yawned and rubbed her eyes before she continued looking at him.

Hiroshi opened the door of the ward and walked in. He gave a plastic bowl of hot fishball noodles to her. "I know you're worried about Yosuke, but don't forget to take care of yourself too. Eat it while it's hot."

"Thanks." Umi muttered as she took it and started eating. He stared at Yosuke before turning his head to her.

"Make sure to get some sleep later on if you're going to stay here overnight." He told her. "Yosuke wouldn't want you to get sick because of him. He'll feel guilty."

"I know." Umi said softly. "Thank you, Hiroshi-chan. How's Kotori doing? Is she feeling better now?"

"She's feeling much better now." He responded. "She can get discharged by tomorrow. She can't wait to get home and continue writing the lyrics. She's all pumped up for it. She's also trying her best to move on from it. After all, it's an unhappy memory, and we all don't like to remember those."

"I don't know if she's really okay." Umi sighed. "This is a scarring experience for her, I'm sure. I don't know if she can take it this easy."

"Even if she can't, I will always be right by her side. I will comfort her and reassure her that everything will be fine with me around. It's my duty to take care of my girlfriend."

"Kotori is so lucky to have a boyfriend like you." Umi smiled.

"I'm lucky to have a cute and caring girlfriend like her." He replied, "She really treats me well, and I'm appreciative of that."

Honoka then came into the ward, "Hello, Umi-chan and Hiroshi-chan. I came over from my uncle's birthday party as soon as I heard the news from Hiroshi-chan. How is he now?"

"Still unconscious." He rejoined.

"Aren't your parents mad or anything?" Umi questioned, "After all, you left a family event to visit Yosuke-chan."

"They were upset with me at first, but after I told my mother and uncle about it, they were sympathetic and allowed me to leave the party. Besides, this is a very serious thing to me."

"Let's just hope for the best." Hiroshi said. The two women nodded their heads. After Hiroshi and Honoka went home three hours later, Umi decided to observe Yosuke's condition for the rest of the night. She took a two-hour sleep before checking up on him for fifteen minutes. She then repeated that process for the rest of the night until the next morning.

* * *

She woke up, stretching her arms. It was currently nine in the morning. She went to the toilet to wash her face before she continued to look after him.

Eli, Nozomi, Rin, Hanayo, Nico, and Maki came into the ward and saw Umi sitting down beside Yosuke's bed. 

"Oh, hello, girls." Umi said, "I wasn't expecting you to come this early. Find a space to sit down."

"He hasn't woken up yet?" Hanayo catechized. Umi shook her head in response.

"I'm sorry we didn't come to visit you." Eli said.

"It's okay." Umi shook it off, "You only know about it in the middle of your outing. Me and Kotori can't possibly interrupt it because of us."

"Are you and Kotori-chan okay?" Nozomi asked her, "Did you girls suffer any injuries anywhere?"

"No, Nozomi." Umi smiled, "Thank you for asking." At this moment, Rin started sniffing, like she's trying to smell something. She got closer to Umi, and then ran away from her, pinching her nose.

"Umi-chan, you smell." Rin groaned, "How long have you not taken a bath?"

"Since about...almost two days ago." 

"Go home and take a shower, Umi." Maki suggested, "After that, get some rest at home."

"But..."

"No buts, Umi." Nico rebutted, "You definitely need a lot of rest. Your panda eyes tell us so. Go home and sleep, so that you'll come here with a lot of energy to continue taking care of Yosuke."

"We'll help you to look after Yosuke-chan for now." Hanayo added, "So go home and rest, Umi-chan."

"Thank you, girls." Umi slowly stood up, "I'll be back in the afternoon, I promise."

"Take your time, Umi-chan." Nozomi grinned, "We ain't rushing you to come." After that, Umi left the hospital for her home.

"Umi-chan really cares a lot for Yosuke, doesn't she?" Nozomi asked Eli.

"You got to remember that Yosuke sacrificed his life to save Umi from being stabbed." Eli replied, "Of course Umi is going to feel guilty about it."

"But look at it." Nozomi retorted, "She's here since yesterday afternoon, after she and Kotori-chan were saved. She didn't even take care of herself while taking care of him. Do you think..."

"To be honest, I think she's just caring for her best buddy. The man that stood by her side when she's down and under. She's repaying the favor to him. After all, he's important to all of us, including her."

"You make sense, Eli-chi."

* * *

In the afternoon, Umi woke up from her nap earlier. She yawned and went to check her phone. It was twelve in the afternoon. She got many missed calls and text messages from Hiroshi, Eli, and Kotori. She quickly unlocked her phone and went to check them out. 

To her horror, the messages she received are all about Yosuke having another operation in the emergency ward due to his unstable condition. She got more worried as every second passed. She quickly went into the bathroom and got dressed.

Suddenly, her phone buzzed. She got a text from Hiroshi. She grabbed her jacket and read the text.

'The doctors tried saving Yosuke, but...he died. I'm sorry, Umi.'

She immediately stopped in her tracks and dropped her phone. She couldn't believe what she had just read. Disbelief and sadness washed over her. She picked her phone up and called Hiroshi.

"Umi..." Hiroshi answered the call.

"You can't be serious, right?" Umi screamed, "Yosuke-chan can't be dead, right? This is not happening. This is definitely not happening."

"Umi, listen to me..."

Umi dropped her phone onto the floor once again as her hands started shaking rapidly. She wanted to cry out loud. She had lost all hope of life. She wanted to die. She felt so numb. She couldn't even feel her own body anymore. She walked forward without thinking twice. She didn't even realize she was on the road until she heard someone honking. She turned to her right, and saw a car speeding towards her at a high speed.

She woke up from the bed in cold sweat. She looked around and saw that she was in her room. She took her phone and checked it, only to find no messages or missed calls, and that it was three in the afternoon. She heaved a sigh of relief. That was only a nightmare, and it actually didn't happen.

She went to take a shower and went out to the food court beside the hospital to take her lunch. After that, she went up to Yosuke's ward. Nobody was in there, which meant the rest must have gone home already. 

She took a chair and sat beside Yosuke's bed. She was hoping that he could wake up any moment now. It will only be a few hours before Yosuke would be in the woods if he doesn't regain consciousness. 

"Please, Yosuke-chan." She thought, "I just had a nightmare about you dying. I can't bear to lose you. Please don't die on me. I cannot live without you. Please." She placed her hands together and did a silent prayer.

* * *

At eight in the night, Umi held Yosuke's hands, wishing to feel any movement from it. Hiroshi and Kotori came into the ward.

"Umi-chan." Kotori hugged her, "I'm so glad you're fine. I came to visit you and Yosuke-chan."

She then passed Umi a metal container and a packet of cookies, "Here is a bowl of soup for you. It’s really good for your health. Also, Hiroshi-chan and I baked cookies for you. We spent the whole afternoon trying to perfect our craft, and I hope you are satisfied with it."

"I will be happy with anything you and Hiroshi-chan make." Umi smiled, "Thank you, Kotori and Hiroshi-chan."

"It's nothing big." Hiroshi said, "It's also a way of saying thank you for being by his side during these few hours. I'm sure he'll really be grateful for it if he knows."

Umi looked down, "I'm scared. I'm really scared. It's been almost two days, and he has not woken up. I'm really distressed at this point. I really can't imagine the future at all. What happens if..."

"Never." Hiroshi turned her head to face him, "That will never ever happen. You hear me, Umi Sonoda? He will make it out alive. He will not die, so do not curse him."

"I agree." Kotori said. "We should be positive. Yosuke-chan's definitely not going to leave us like that. Right now, he's fighting for his life to make sure he can finally see all of us again. You got to believe in him, Umi-chan." 

Umi looked at the two of them. If they could be so positive about it, then maybe she should be looking at it on the bright side too. 

* * *

At two in the morning, Umi was still up, looking after Yosuke. She has been staying awake ever since the couple had given her words of hope. She initially had a lot of confidence after they left an hour later, but as time passed, she became less and less confident that Yosuke might wake up.

She looked at him as tears flowed down her face. All she was feeling now was fear, not hope. She really wanted to be positive, and she tried her best to be. However, the current situation makes her feel that nothing's changing, and the inevitable will happen.

"I'm so sorry, Yosuke-chan." She cried out while she laid her head on his chest, "I've involved you into my issues, and now you're paying the price for it. I'm really sorry. I caused your death. I...I..." She broke down uncontrollably before she could even finish the sentence. 

She then saw and heard the heart rate went high on the patient monitor. She stopped crying and ran out of the ward, screaming for a doctor. She managed to find one a few seconds later, and she led him to the ward. The doctor told her to get out while he called the surgeons to come in. 

Umi waited outside, tapping her feet impatiently. It was finally the end. There's no way Yosuke can be saved anymore. In the ward, one of the surgeons took the defibrillator paddles and used it on Yosuke. It shocked his body for a while, but there was still no reaction.

Three hours later, the doctor and surgeons came out. Umi stood up and went to them, "Did anything happen to my friend, doctor? Is he okay?"

She was prepared to hear the worst answer she could possibly get. That he's dead. That he can't be rescued. That they tried their best but he still couldn't be saved. The doctor and surgeons glanced at each other before looking at Umi.

"After many hours of trying, we managed to bring your friend back to life." The doctor replied, "He's also out of the woods now, but he just needs to stay in the hospital for a few days so that we can give him a few more checks."

Upon hearing that, Umi cried tears of joy. She couldn't believe that Yosuke was alive. She had never felt so happy and relieved in her life before. She bowed down and thanked the doctor and surgeons profusely before going into the ward. She ran to Yosuke and hugged him. He got a surprise, but he still patted her head. 

"I'm so glad you survived." She wept, "You have no idea how worried and anxious I was. They said to expect for the worst if you didn't wake up. I was so scared you'd leave µ's, or you'd leave me, and I won't be able to see you again. I couldn't bear to lose you..."

Yosuke stopped hugging her and cleared her tears. "Don't think about that now, Umi-chan. I'm alive and talking to you right now, so everything's fine." 

"Don't do that stupid thing again, you understand?" Umi crossed her arms.

"I promise you, I won't be a hero again." Yosuke caressed her hair and beamed at her. He then saw her panda eyes, which was pretty obvious.

"Have you been getting enough sleep?" He asked, "Did you lose sleep because of me?"

"I..."

"Umi-chan, as much as I appreciate your effort, I don't want you to fall sick. Since I'm okay now, you'd better get some sleep."

"Yes, Yosuke-chan." She gave a faint smile. Both of them kept quiet for a while before Yosuke sighed.

"To think that I'm actually not dead." He muttered, "I revealed my true feelings too early."

"Oh yeah, about that..."

"Umi-chan, can this just be a one-sided love?" He pleaded with her, "I don't want to lose my friendship with you. I want us to continue being best friends."

Umi looked at him before slowly nodding her head. He heaved a sigh of relief.

"I know you won't pick an old man like me." Yosuke said, "People will laugh at you for dating a man twice your age. Besides, I don't have any outstanding features. It's normal if you don't want to date me."

"But..." Umi was about to talk back about how good Yosuke was before he stopped her.

"Let's not talk about it anymore." He said, "We're still besties, and that's all I could ask for. By the way, can you bring me to the toilet?" Umi agreed and helped him slowly into the toilet before closing the door. She then sighed sadly. A few minutes later, Hiroshi and Kotori visited Yosuke.

"Happy to see you living, my man." Hiroshi patted Yosuke's shoulder.

"I'm delighted to know that you're fine, Yosuke-chan." Kotori grinned at the patient and gave him a container of soup, "This is a soup good for your health. I gave this to Umi to drink. Now, it's your turn to drink."

"Thank you, Kotori-chan." Yosuke took it. He tried to hold the plastic spoon that was given but dropped it on the tray.

"You know, you are still recovering." Hiroshi said, "Don't try to act all macho. Why not ask Umi to feed you?"

"M...me?" Umi is surprised to hear her name.

"Nah, I don't want to trouble Umi-chan." Yosuke responded, "She has been taking care of me for the past few hours. She even sacrificed her sleep for me. I can't ask her to do more. It'll be unfair of me."

"Y...Yosuke-chan, it's okay." Umi uttered, "I'll feed you." She took the spoon and scooped some of the soup. She blew it before smiling at him.

"Open your mouth." She told him. He did what she told him to do and drank the soup. Hiroshi and Kotori gave them cheeky smiles.

"What's with those expressions?" Yosuke asked.

"Oh no, it's nothing." Hiroshi answered, "Kotori and I shall leave you two alone. We'll visit you later." He and Kotori then giggled as they left the ward.

"Those two." Yosuke shook her head, "Trying to always put us together. Ignore them, Umi-chan. I'll always be your best friend." Umi nodded her head and continued to feed him.

At night, when Yosuke was sleeping, Umi went to the balcony and stared at her surroundings. She seemed to be thinking of something, and she's unsure if she should do it or not. She looked back at Yosuke before turning to the dark blue sky. She thought about it for a very long time, and decided she needed more time to come to a conclusion.

The next few days, Umi continued to take care of Yosuke as the rest of µ's and Hiroshi took turns to visit him. He felt grateful to each and every one of them for keeping him in their prayers and dropping by to check up on him. He has also told his mother about the incident while she was still on her vacation in Bali. 

* * *

Finally, after a few more check-ups done on Yosuke, he could finally be discharged. Hiroshi came to pick him up as Umi told him that she would be busy on that day due to family issues. 

"Sad that your crush can't bring you home, right?" Hiroshi teased his friend. 

Yosuke rolled his eyes and groaned, "You really are childish even though you have a girlfriend. I respect her decision of not choosing me to be her boyfriend, and I accepted my fate."

"Yeah, yeah, Yosuke." Hiroshi laughed, "You're sad about it, ain't you?"

"No matter how miserable I am, I just have to live my life and go on. I can't be stuck at one point and keep on crying."

Hiroshi looked at Yosuke with shock, "Wow, what an inspirational speech, my dear friend. C'mon, let's get you home."

Hiroshi helped Yosuke bring his belongings to the car as the latter walked slowly but steady to the carpark. He got into Hiroshi's car and was about to buckle his seatbelt when he got a call from Umi. 

"Hey, Umi-chan," He answered the call, "What's up? Is there anything you need from me?"

"Yosuke-chan, I'm in trouble right now." Umi said hastily, "I'm being followed by someone right now. I think he might be planning to attack me. I'm scared, Yosuke-chan."

"Alright. I'll come over right now." Yosuke replied. "Where are you?"

"I'm in the park nearby my house. I'm under a big sakura tree. I'm hiding from him now."

"I'll be there as fast as possible." He then ended the call and told Hiroshi to drive him to the park. When they reached there, Yosuke quickly got out of the car and walked as fast as possible into the park to find the tree.

After a while, he managed to find the sakura tree Umi mentioned. He looked around it, but he couldn't find her.

"Could she have already run away because the stalker found out she was here?" He thought, "Or the stalker had caught up to her and taken her away? Or...wait a minute....why did Umi-chan even call me? She's not afraid of a stalker. She can run very fast, and she can also kinda defend herself. So that means..."

He turned around and saw Umi, who was wearing a white shirt, a blue checkered skirt, and dark blue stilettos. 

"You tricked me, Umi-chan." Yosuke groaned.

Umi chuckled softly, "I'm sorry, Yosuke-chan. It was really funny seeing you worried."

"It. Is. Not. You got me worried. And what's with that outfit? Are you going to a party or something? You look...stunning."

"Actually, Yosuke-chan," Umi blushed, "I want to tell you something. I know you have a crush on me, and that you love me with your heart. I also know you consistently care for me, stay by my side and support me during my sad times, and even comfort me when I'm down. I really appreciate all of it."

"That's really nothing, Umi-chan. I..."

"So, I have been thinking these past few days." Umi fidgeted with her fingers, "And I thought that...it will be great to have you as my boyfriend. You made me feel happy, safe, and secure. When I'm around you, I feel nothing but bliss. Besides, I...I like you too. I guess we can try dating, and then work it out from there. I know we are like twenty years apart, but...but I feel that love does not have an age limit. I like you for who you are, and I will not care about your age."

Yosuke stared at her with uncertainty, "You are not joking, aren't you? This isn't some play, right? This is real, right?"

"It is." She walked forward and held his hands, "I...I like you, Yosuke-chan, and I would like you to be my boyfriend." 

Yosuke looked at her hands, "D...definitely. I will definitely be your boyfriend, Umi-chan!" She smiled at him as he screamed in joy. He then kissed her lips, which caught her by surprise.

"Oh shit, I'm sorry, Umi-chan." He quickly pulled away, "I'm so sorry for doing it. I know we're not even far into our relationship, and yet..."

"No, Yosuke-chan." Umi touched her lips, "You kissed me by surprise. I wasn't ready for it. I need to prepare for it. Can...can we count down before we do so?"

"Sure." Yosuke grinned, "Three..."

"Two..." Umi continued.

"One..." Both of them said concurrently before kissing each other on the lips. After a few seconds, they stopped kissing and let go of their hands.

"I still can't believe it." Yosuke said excitedly, "My crush has finally accepted me. This is the best day ever, honestly."

"Me too." Umi then extended her hand out, "Now, since you know why I'm wearing this outfit, shall we go? I got a whole day planned for us, you know."

Yosuke smiled and held her hand, and they proceeded to walk hand in hand. Kotori and Hiroshi, who were watching from the side, high-fived each other. Their plan was a success. 

Umi had approached them the previous day, and asked them for help to confess her love to Yosuke. Kotori taught her what to say while Hiroshi taught her the actions she should do. Umi practiced it countless times as she knew that she herself would be very clumsy when it comes to love. Kotori and Hiroshi helped her along the way, giving her tips on how to improve her pose and speech. 

To see that Umi has finally succeeded makes the two of them really happy. They're thrilled that Umi has finally found her true love, and was willing to be with Yosuke. 

* * *

Two months later, Umi and Yosuke have already developed a strong romantic relationship between themselves. They love each other a lot, and ignore the stares of the public even when they're being judged. They didn't care about what the public thinks. As long as they were in love with each other, everything would be okay.

One day, the two of them were walking to the supermarket to get some groceries. Umi wanted to go and get some fish so that she could steam it for their dinner later. Yosuke nodded his head, and told her he'll go and find some biscuits to buy.

After she was done with choosing the fish she thought was the best, she placed it in a plastic bag and went to find Yosuke. She went to the biscuit section, and found him talking to an old woman, the both of them laughing out loud.

She instantly got jealous. She glared at Yosuke and waited for him to notice her. Yosuke then turned around and saw the scary, angry look on her face. She told the old woman to wait before he walked to Umi.

"Why do you look so mad, Umi-chan?" He asked, "Did I do anything wrong?"

"Oh no, you didn't." Umi replied in an annoyed tone, "You just talked to that woman earlier. That's all."

"Hmm, your words and tone sound completely different from each other." Yosuke teased her, "Oh, I know why now. You must be jealous right? I'm having such a hearty talk with her, and you can't stand it, right? You can't stand your boyfriend talking to some other girl, rightttt?" 

"I'm not jealous." She growled as she pulled his ear, which caused him to groan in pain, "Flirting with another woman besides your own girlfriend must be fun, right?"

"It's not flirting, I promise, Umi-chan." He uttered, "I was joking with you. It's a joke, Umi-chan."

"You still trying to deny it?"

"Yosuke, are you okay?" The old woman went to him.

"I'm trying to calm her down after telling her a joke, Ma." Yosuke whined.

"M...Ma?" Umi immediately let go of his ear and bowed down in front of the woman, "I'm sorry, Lee-san. I didn't mean to pull Yosuke-chan's ear like that. I..."

"It's okay, young woman." The old woman told Umi, "Yosuke must have told you some bad joke. I apologize for his lame sense of humor. I am Yosuke's mother. And aren't you Umi Sonoda-chan from µ's? You are Yosuke's favorite idol."

"Yes, Lee-san." She smiled, "Nice to meet you."

"Ma, I was just joking with her." Yosuke then turned to face Umi with a cheeky smile on his face, "Besides, she thought that you're my..." At this moment, Umi reacted quickly and covered his mouth.

"I thought you are a very good friend of his, Lee-san." Umi gave an awkward smile, "I'm sorry to have been mistaken." 

"It's okay, my dear." Mrs Lee replied gently, "By the way, do you mind joining me and my son for lunch? I figured we could have a good talk together."

"S...sure." Umi replied, "Just give me some time with Yosuke-chan."

As Mrs Lee walked away, Yosuke pushed Umi's hand away. He was a bit annoyed that Umi did that. However, the next thing she did surprised him. She turned to him and bowed down.

"I'm sorry, Yosuke-chan." She apologized, "I didn't know that that woman is your mother, and I accused you of flirting. As your girlfriend, I should've trusted you, because couples trust each other naturally. I'm sorry." 

"Umi-chan..."

"The truth is, this is my very first time dating, so I have insecurities." Umi continued, "I just want my lover to always be with me and love me forever. I promise I'll try not to think about it, and trust you more. I do hope you trust me more too."

Yosuke grinned and hugged her, "Don't be silly, Umi-chan. I love you so much. Why would I leave a pretty and kind woman? That would be my loss. I understand that you have insecurities, and I assure you I will love you and you only. I will never leave your side."

Umi looked at her boyfriend and smiled with tears in her eyes, "Thank you, Yosuke-chan." 

"Alright, don't cry." Yosuke cleared her tears, "Let's go home and eat lunch with my mother, okay?" She nodded her head. They then walked to the cashier to pay for their groceries.

"Umi-chan is your girlfriend?" Mrs Lee asked her son when the three of them were in the house. Yosuke replied with a yes. 

"Oh my god." The old woman was amazed, "My son managed to get the girl of his dreams. Tell me, Umi-chan, how did he convince you?"

"He loves me, and I love him too." Umi responded, "He always treats me so well, even to the point where he spoils me sometimes. He's there when I'm feeling down and out."

"That's great." Mrs Lee replied happily, "You know, Umi-chan, I'm very elated you chose my son to be your boyfriend. I'm glad he treats you well. I've seen you in interviews and music videos before. You're so polite and well-mannered in your interviews, and you dance very well."

"Thank you, Lee-san." Umi said.

"I was interested in your idol group at that time, so I bought the magazine because you girls were on the cover." Mrs Lee talked, "Guess that's how it all started. Yosuke went from admiring his idol to dating his idol. That's so wholesome. Umi-chan, should he bully you at any point of time, you can come to me, and I'll make sure to give Yosuke the correct punishment." Yosuke groaned while Umi giggled.

"All jokes aside, I really want to thank you for accepting my son." Mrs Lee said to her, "He can be a bit of a klutz sometimes, so I hope you could guide him well. Also, I know what you and Yosuke are worried about. The age gap between the two of you."

"Yeah, Lee-san, we're really worried about that." Umi sighed, "I don't know if you would find a problem..."

"I think it's fine. Love transcends all ages. The only thing that matters is that there is mutual love between the two of you. I'm sure you and Yosuke really love each other. Besides, Yosuke got his dream girl. I can't possibly say no, right? I'll give you my blessings." Yosuke smiled while Umi was surprised that his mother was so accepting of her with open arms, but was happy about it.

"Thank you." The couple replied at the same time before they bowed down. Mrs Lee smiled at the both of them, joyous that the two of them are actually together now. She's glad her son's wish has come true, and she feels proud as a mother.

"And, Umi-chan, call me Ma, alright?" Mrs Lee requested, "You are my daughter-to-be, so I think you don't have to call me Lee-san."

"Yes, Ma." Umi greeted her mother-in-law.

During dinner, Yosuke brought Umi out to a restaurant to eat. He ordered a bowl of prawn noodles with a glass of plain water, while she took omelette rice and a cup of organic green tea.

"I'm really happy your mother is willing to allow us to date, Yosuke-chan." Umi said, "She even gave us her blessings. I'm surprised."

"Hehe, my mother knows I love you a lot ever since I loved idols and their songs, especially you." Yosuke replied, "Besides, she always wanted me to have a girlfriend. Of course she will welcome you into the family."

Umi's smile quickly faded, "But now, I'm worried about one thing. My parents...would they be so receptive of me dating you? I can already imagine my father rejecting us."

Yosuke stopped eating and held her hands, "Umi-chan, I'm pretty sure we can overcome any obstacle that comes in our way. There will be a way for us to convince your parents, so don't lose hope yet. Believe in me. Believe in us."

"You know how to say really encouraging words, Yosuke-chan." Umi grinned, "To be honest, I want to fight for my relationship too. We love each other, and I don't want anyone to break us up. One way or another, I will make sure my father accepts you."

"We'll plan this out together, Umi-chan." He told her, "After all, two brains are better than one." Umi smiled at him upon hearing that.

* * *

The next morning, the members of µ's and Yosuke started their training in the Kanda Shrine. Hiroshi joined in today, and everyone except Kotori was surprised that he came, as he rarely ever appears when they're doing workouts.

He explained that he wanted to bond more with the girls as he hasn't been doing so due to him needing to solve his personal problems. Now, since he was free to do anything since he got over his fears, he wanted to get to know each girl more as a manager. 

With that, everyone got on with training while Hiroshi looked at them. He started taking notes down on what exercises they did, the number of exercises, and the time limit if there is any. 

When the girls were having their break, Yosuke went to Umi and sat down beside her. He passed her a bottle of water and told her to drink it.

"Thank you, Yosuke-chan." She said, "Do you have water too?"

"Oh, me? I don't have it since I gave you mine. I saw you were perspiring a lot, so I thought you needed my water more than me. I'll buy another one later."

"You're so sweet, Yosuke-chan." Umi grinned, "But I'm sure you need water too since you exercised, so h...how about you s...share this bottle with m...me?"

"W...with you?" Yosuke asked, "I'm surprised you suggested this."

"What? You don't want it? Then..."

"No, no, no! I will share the water with you!" Yosuke bowed, "I will forever be grateful for your generosity, my dear Umi-chan!" 

Umi laughed at that before drinking the water and passing it to Yosuke. The rest of the girls saw that and stared at them.

“Ah, they're sharing a water bottle now." Nozomi smirked.

"You two seemed especially close, nya~" Rin gave a cheeky smile. 

"Best friends, huh?" Nico asked, "I'm pretty sure there's something going on with you two."

Yosuke looked at them and held Umi's hand up high proudly, "Why can't I share a drink with my girlfriend? Are you jealous you girls can't do so?"

"Girlfriend?!" The girls said harmoniously with shock as Umi looked away blushing.

A few seconds later, Hiroshi went around talking to the girls. He first went for Nico and Maki. He asked them if they're doing anything currently and queried for relationship advice, including how they overcame the public's judgement of their relationship. 

Next, he went to Hanayo, Kotori, and Honoka. The trio were currently talking about doing a new Printemps song, and were discussing the theme of it. He said to them that he'll be interested to listen to it, even if it is a demo version. He found out that Hanayo's mother was still in a coma, but was recovering well. Honoka has now decided to work part-time at her family's sweets shop, tending the shop. Kotori was working on sewing a shirt so that she could give it to him.

Following that, he walked to Eli, Nozomi, and Rin. Nozomi was reading their fates for luck using her tarot cards. Hiroshi took this chance to ask how Nozomi got into fortune reading, which she explains that she found it fun and she uses it whenever she has a hard time fitting in. Eli was planning to practice some more of her ballerina dancing during the weekends, and Rin was helping Peter in taking care of her father in her free time. 

Lastly, he went to Yosuke and Umi, and he smirked at them.

"Not bad, huh, Yosuke." He said, "Finally getting the girl you longed for. You gotta thank me and Kotori for helping Umi confess to you. Without the two of us, Umi might not have been able to show her true feelings."

"Wow, you helped me so much. I really should thank you." Yosuke talked back sarcastically, "Thank you, my dear brother. Without you, I would've been a loner my whole life." The three of them then laughed. 

"In all seriousness, thank you, Hiroshi." Yosuke said, "Without you, this all would never have happened. It is all because of your drive to reform the glorious µ's that I get to meet Umi-chan."

"What can I say? It's fate. Fate brought us all together. You're fated to meet Umi and be with her. It took a very long time for it to happen, but it did still eventually come true."

"You're coming in here with such corny words, Hiroshi-chan." Umi said.

"He definitely is." Yosuke added on, "It made the hair on my hand stand."

"You guys are really a couple." Hiroshi commented, "Agreeing on everything together. So sweet."

"Why? Are you jealous Kotori ain't treating you like how I treat Yosuke-chan?" Umi gave a smug look, "Yosuke-chan, look who's jealous."

"Oh yeah." Yosuke agreed, "Someone's obviously sad that his girlfriend doesn't treat him sweet."

"I heard my name." Kotori skipped to them before wrapping her arms around Hiroshi, "I treat Hiroshi-chan very well too. I support him in everything he does. Not that just, I cheer him on and put on my cutest look too. On the other hand, he treats me very well. He buys me food every day, and helps me with my sewing. What about your boyfriend, Umi-chan?"

"My boyfriend is the sweetest person in the world." Umi rebutted, "He always helps me in everything I do, and he never complains. He brings me out on romantic dates too, and has a very sweet tongue."

"Oh yeah? Hiroshi-chan also brings me to romantic dates, and is very sweet to me." Kotori retorted. The two continued on bickering about whose boyfriend was better as Yosuke and Hiroshi watched from a side, grinning.

"They're cute, aren't they?" Yosuke asked his best friend. 

"Definitely." Hiroshi replied, "It is certainly fun and interesting to bond with the girls."

"That's why you should've come earlier. They always made sure the training is fun even when it is really tough so that they would all enjoy it."

"I'm glad that we got to do this reforming thing." Hiroshi said, "It really brightened up my life a lot. Meeting these girls is not a mistake, especially the love of my life. Thank you for convincing me to help them, Yosuke."

"You gotta thank yourself for owing me a favor." Yosuke jokes. The both of them laughed before smiling at the idol group. The two of them are happy that all of this worked out quite well. Not only do they get to see µ's sing and dance in person, they also each managed to date their favorite girl. 

Happiness, friendship, and love.

What more could they ask for?

* * *

A year later, Hiroshi sat down on the sofa of his new house. He was waiting for Kotori to be done with dolling herself up, so that they can reach their destination in time.

Hiroshi and Kotori got married months ago, and they bought a two-floor house together, where they live. They were about to attend Yosuke and Umi's wedding 

Kotori came out, walking quickly to her husband, "I'm sorry for taking such a long time, dear."

"It's okay, love." Hiroshi replied.

"Hiroshi-chan, how do I look?" She asked excitedly, twirling around as she showed off her outfit, consisting of a yellow long-sleeved shirt, and green dress to him, "I saw this at the store and bought it. I thought it would look good on me." He looked at her and held her shoulders.

"You look pretty in anything, Kotori." He responded, "You are already super beautiful. That will never change no matter what you wear."

"Aww, you still have such a sweet tongue." Kotori planted a kiss on his lips, "I love you. Now, let's go. We don't want to be late for Umi-chan and Yosuke-chan's wedding." He nodded his head and held her hand as they walked out of the house.

* * *

In the wedding hall, the members of µ's sat at one table, while the Umi's family members and mother of Yosuke sat at another. The wed-to-be couple only invited their family and close friends. The two of them also wanted a simple wedding. They felt they didn't need an extravagant wedding.

Yosuke was standing at the altar, waiting for Umi. He was very excited for the moment to happen, and he was joyous that he was set to marry the love of his life and his favorite idol. 

The doors of the hall open, and he turned to look at the doorstep. Umi, in a wedding dress, walked into the hall with her father, hand in hand. Yosuke gazed in awe at the bride as she walked gracefully towards the altar. Once she and her father reached the point, he 'gave her away' to Yosuke and told him to take care of her well. 

The officiant, which turns out to be Hiroshi, cleared his throat and started talking, "Welcome, friends and family. Thank you all for gathering here today to witness the marriage of Umi Sonoda and Yosuke Lee. They would like to thank all of you sincerely for coming all the way here to celebrate their big day." He stopped for a while before continuing.

"They have been through a few bumps here and there, but they managed to overcome it with love. That itself is amazing. As you know, marriage is a very big thing. It is the start of something new, a promise made between the two, and even vow to be with each other for the rest of their lives. Without further ado, I would like to start the exchange of wedding vows now. Yosuke, please go first."

Yosuke and Umi then held each other's hands. He cleared his throat and started talking, "I, Yosuke Lee, take you, Umi Sonoda, to be my lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us apart."

Umi then said her wedding vows next, "I, Umi Sonoda, take you, Yosuke Lee, to be my lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us apart."

"Now, it is time for the exchange of wedding rings." Hiroshi said, "Bride and groom, please exchange your rings now." 

Yosuke took his ring and placed it on Umi's ring finger. She took her ring and placed it on his ring finger. 

"Now, I officially pronounce Yosuke Lee and Umi Sonoda husband and wife." Hiroshi declared, "You two may now kiss." Yosuke then removed Umi's veil, and the two of them kissed each other on the lips. Everyone in the hall cheered for them.

The two of them, now officially married, smiled at each other. They held hands and went down the aisle as the members of µ's started throwing confetti at them as they walked out of the hall. 

The wedding reception happened afterwards. The newlyweds took photos with their family members and friends. Umi and Yosuke also had their first dance together as a married couple. 

While they were having their dinner, Yosuke looked at Umi and grinned at her, "Who knew you and I could be married one day? This is a dream come true for me."

"Me too." Umi blushed, "I'm glad that I get to spend my life with you now. I feel elated. It's still surprising to me that my parents accepted you."

"Well, your mother helped us too." Yosuke responded, "She managed to convince your father to give us his blessings."

"Don't give Okaa-san all the credit. You did your very best convincing Otou-san too." Umi patted his shoulder, "He isn't usually one to give in, especially when I am with a man twice my age, and I had rebelled against him because of the dōjō. He admitted he got swayed by your speech and your devotion towards me, and that played a part in allowing him to accept us."

"I guess nothing could stop us and our love." He gave a cheeky smile.

"Corny." She commented. Both of them then laughed. At the other table, the members of µ's except for Kotori and Hiroshi were talking about the cute moments of Umi and Yosuke.

"Seeing Umi-chan and Yosuke-chan marry today, it reminded me of our marriage three months ago." Kotori told her husband, "It was a blast, and I'm happy it went so smoothly."

"Yeah, you look so good in that wedding dress that time." Hiroshi said dreamily, "You look so beautiful."

"So you mean that I wasn't beautiful before?" Kotori pouted, "Or that I'm not a pretty woman?"

"Of course not!" Hiroshi said, "You are forever pretty and cute! I'm just saying the wedding dress made you look so amazing! I was in awe! However, now that you're my wife, you're definitely way more gorgeous!" Kotori giggled at that and pecked his cheeks.

"I know how it feels like to get married." She uttered, "Bliss and happiness. Umi-chan must be feeling the same thing today."

"Yosuke too. I still can't believe he got to marry his favorite idol. He really is lucky."

"Hey, you are lucky too. You got to marry your favorite idol too. Now, you even got her pregnant."

"One month pregnant." He felt her stomach, "I can't wait to see the baby. I'm even more excited to be a father."

"Me too. I am an excited mother." Kotori grinned. Umi and Yosuke then went to visit their table and shook the hands of everyone at that table while they congratulated the two.

"How are you guys doing?" Yosuke asked.

"You two really hired the best chefs." Honoka leaned on her chair and patted her stomach, "I'm filled to the brim."

"The rice is so good." Hanayo added on, "These chefs are amazing."

"Not gonna lie, they are almost as good as the chefs my family had back then." Maki confessed, "How did you even find chefs this great?"

"Well, Yosuke's mother recommended it to me." Umi replied, "She told me she knew a lot of great cooks, so I listened to her."

"Damn, Yosuke, your mother never told me about this." Hiroshi said, "I had to use my connections to get some of the best ones. Your mother could've given me an easier job."

"Well, probably because you gave me so much trouble." Yosuke jokes, "Besides, you are not her daughter-in-law. Of course she won't help." Everyone started laughing. After the reception, Umi and Yosuke left for their 3-day honeymoon. 

* * *

Two weeks later, Yosuke and Umi were moving furniture into their new house. Hiroshi volunteered to help them. Kotori couldn't make it as she had to help her parents with grocery shopping.

While the trio moved the furniture in, Yosuke noticed that Hiroshi took a lot of breaks due to him being a bit tired. He huffed a lot too, and he looked kinda pale. He also coughed quite frequently.

"Are you okay, man?" Yosuke asked him, "You look like you're not feeling well. Go home, Hiroshi. Umi-chan and I can do this on our own."

"No...I...I can..." Hiroshi gasped, "Let me help you. I'm...I'm fine."

"You don't sound fine. Should I take you to the doctor?" 

Hiroshi carried a chair from the doorstep, "Look. I can carry a chair. I'm fine, Yosuke." As he carried it to the study room, he started feeling out of breath. Once he placed the chair into the room, he felt like he needed to cough. He took out a tissue and coughed onto it. 

He looked at it and saw blood on it. Suddenly, he felt like he couldn't breathe. He grabbed his chest, fell onto the floor, and turned unconscious. Umi, who is walking by the room, saw Hiroshi and ran to him.

"Hiroshi-chan, are you okay?" Umi shook his body, "Hiroshi-chan? Hiroshi-chan!"

Yosuke went to the room when he heard her calling out Hiroshi's name, "What happened, Umi-chan?"

"I think Hiroshi-chan is unconscious, Yosuke-chan." Umi dreadfully said, "We need to call the ambulance now."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my favorite chapter, as Umi the idol finally accepts Yosuke the fan's love. Well, I liked writing this chapter a lot, and I hope you enjoy reading it too. Thank you.


	30. A Bad News Up Ahead

In the evening, Umi and Yosuke waited outside a doctor’s office for Hiroshi. Hiroshi has done some checkup to see what’s wrong with his body, and the couple are now anxiously waiting for the results.

“Will Hiroshi-chan be fine, Yosuke-chan?” Umi asked worriedly, “I don’t want anything to happen to him.”

“I’m positive he’ll be fine.” Yosuke assured his wife, “I think he is just tired, and he overworked himself a bit too much for his new studio album. He’s the type of person to not let anyone know about his problems, and takes it up upon himself.”

“I agree.” Umi replied, “I want to find a way to help him, Yosuke-chan. Perhaps I can assist him in song ideas or songwriting. He has done so much for us. I can’t bear to see him suffer alone.”

“Good idea. You should probably tell him once he gets out.”

In the doctor’s office, Hiroshi took the brown envelope that the doctor had given him. 

“We did some tests on you earlier, and here are the results of it.” The doctor told him. He opened the envelope and took out the papers in it. He looked through them, and he was shocked. He kept rubbing his eyes to make sure it was real, and surely it was. It felt like his eyes were playing with him for one moment.

“This...Doctor, is this real?” Hiroshi asked with uncertainty, “Did...did they make any mistake here?”

“Mr Oshiro, everything in this envelope is accurate and stated true.” The doctor retorted, “The hospital will not lie to you.“ 

Hiroshi couldn’t believe it. He refused to do so. The results are undesirable to him, to say the least. He wanted it to be false so badly, but he eventually had to accept reality. He stood up and thanked the doctor before walking out of the office.

Yosuke and Umi stood up upon seeing him come out. They wanted to ask him about the tests, but the devastated look on his face told them otherwise.

“Let’s go home.” He said before turning towards the direction to the lift lobby. Umi and Yosuke followed him, and realized that he was unusually quiet this whole time.

At the entrance of the hospital, Hiroshi was about to separate ways with them when Yosuke went to him.

“How’s the test results?” He questioned. 

Hiroshi, not wanting them to worry about him, forced out a fake smile. “It’s fine. I’m just down with fever and flu. Small stuff. I need to take some medication, that’s all. You guys don’t have to worry.”

“You’re frowning and you looked troubled ever since you stepped out of that doctor’s office, Hiroshi-chan.” Umi responded, “It’s definitely not something as small as a fever and flu.”

She then stepped up to him and looked at him, “Hiroshi-chan, I know you always keep your problems to yourself. You don’t want to burden anyone else with it. That’s what I admire about you. You’re like Kotori, placing others before yourself. But, you need to know that not every problem can be solved alone. You definitely need friends to help you, and that’s why me and Yosuke-chan are here. We are your best friends, you know. You can tell us your troubles, and we will help you to the best we can.”

“That’s right, Hiroshi.” Yosuke added on, “We really hope you don’t face this alone. We really do want to help you.” Hiroshi looked at the two of them before sighing.

“I don’t want this to spread, you two.” Hiroshi told them, “I don’t think I could even muster the courage to say it out though. After all, how can I tell everyone, especially Kotori, that I have stage three lung cancer? How do you think she will feel about her husband having this disease, when she’s excited to spend the rest of her life with me?”

Umi and Yosuke looked at their friend in horror. They were taken aback by what he had just said. 

“I trust you two to keep quiet about this.” Hiroshi said, “I will tell Kotori one day, probably when I’m about to die. I can’t bear to see her cry over this.” He then walked away. Umi and Yosuke looked at him before turning to each other.

“Does this mean...” Umi was on the verge of tears. Yosuke pulled her close and hugged her.

“We’ll find a solution for him.” He comforted her, “We’ll find the best doctors and make him recover from this.“

**\--µ's--**

In Hiroshi’s home, he went to his room and placed the envelope in the top drawer of a cupboard before closing it. He couldn’t break the news to Kotori yet. He didn’t want to hide it from her, yet he didn’t know when the right time would be to tell her.

He went down to the kitchen, where he saw Kotori cooking some vegetables. She saw him and smiled at him, “Welcome back, dear. How is the moving of furniture in Umi-chan’s new house coming along?”

“It’s fine.” He replied, “They’re about to be done. Everything should probably be done by tomorrow. Their housewarming party, if I remembered correctly, would be on next Wednesday.”

“Alright, I’ll clear up that day, and then we can both go and visit them.” Kotori said, “By the way, Hiroshi-chan, can you help us to take some rice? I’m about to be done with cooking, so we can start dinner soon.”

“Okay.” Hiroshi went to the rice cooker and scooped rice from it before placing it into two bowls: one for her, one for him. As he was carrying the two bowls, he suddenly felt weak and sleepy. His vision got blurrier. His hands felt numb.

Without realizing anything, he dropped the two bowls onto the floor, breaking them. Kotori noticed it and quickly switched off the stove. She took a broom and then swept the broken shards onto a long-handle dustpan. This whole time, he just stood rooted to the ground, unsure of how he should react at all. He looked at his hands.

“Hiroshi-chan, are you okay?” Kotori asked. “Are you injured or anything?”

“I’m...fine.” 

“You might be a little tired from carrying the rice bowls.” She uttered. “It’s okay. I’ll take it for you. Just go sit at the dining table, and I’ll bring everything to you.”

Hiroshi obeyed and went to sit down at the dining table. He stared at his wife, who was frying the vegetables. Once she was done, she went to take the rice and brought the dishes to the table. 

After dinner, he watched her clean the plates and mop the oily kitchen floor. She was constantly busy doing all the housework, yet she never complained. She is hardworking because she wants to give him a good life, and that was why he couldn’t bring himself to talk about his condition at all. He couldn’t imagine the devastation on her face if she ever knows of it. He couldn't bear to break her heart.

* * *

The next morning, the members of µ's carried on with their training, and Hiroshi came for it. He had been coming for the past few sessions to have a chance to bond with the girls. Today was no different, except for the fact that he had lung cancer. 

He started out by talking to Nico and Maki. He asked them how they would feel if someone close to them had passed away. Nico went on about her deceased father and how she coped with it, while Maki told him about her dead mother’s fate. 

Then, he went to Nozomi and Eli and questioned them about the things they would say to a friend if their relative had passed away. Eli replied she would tell her friend to stay strong and she would be there for them if they need any support. Nozomi agreed with Eli, adding on that the maiden would also do some fortune-telling to try and cheer them up.

Afterwards, he walked to Hanayo and Rin. He asked them about the things the two girls would say to their friends and family members if the girls contacted a terminal illness. Rin would spend more time with her friends, and look at the positive side for the rest of her life before she dies. Hanayo would just break down and cry.

During their break, the rest of them gathered around while Hiroshi went to the toilet. 

“Do you find that Hiroshi-chan is perhaps...acting a little strange today?” Nico asked.

“I think so too.” Hanayo replied, “He asked me and Rin-chan something about terminal illness and what we would say to our family and friends if we get them.”

“He asked me and Eli-chi about how we would comfort our friend if they had lost someone close to them.” Nozomi uttered.

“He asked us about our reaction if our loved one died.” Maki voiced out, “To be fair, my mother died, and Nico-chan’s father passed away, so we were able to answer it easily. But why did he ask us that? It’s like he’s trying to get something out of us.”

“Did he really ask you about all of this?” Kotori questioned, “Me and Honoka-chan were jogging, so we didn’t know anything.”

“Surprisingly, he never asked Yosuke or Umi about this.” Eli said. They turned to Umi and Yosuke, who looked unfazed by it.

“They don’t look concerned about it at all, nya~” Rin commented, “Do they know anything about why Hiroshi-chan asked us those questions?”

“Youske-chan, Umi-chan,” Nozomi went to the married couple, “You guys didn’t react when we talked about the strange things Hiroshi-chan asked us. He didn’t go to you two to ask anything either. Do you know something?”

“Know what?” Yosuke asked instantly, “I know absolutely nothing about it. I don’t know why he didn’t ask us either.”

“T...that’s right!” Umi said, “We were just m...minding our own business! We didn’t know he went around questioning every one of you too.”

“Relax, guys.” Honoka spoke, “Hiroshi-chan could be asking all these weird questions because he might be working on his new music. Remember? During his wedding, he told us that he’s a musician. Perhaps he just wanted to get those feelings because he wanted to write a heartbreak album.” Umi and Yosuke nodded their heads.

“That actually makes sense.” Maki said.

“That sounds perfectly reasonable.” Eli uttered, “Alright then. Let’s get back to our training in two minutes.“ She clapped her hands, and everyone got ready for training. 

“They almost suspected us.” Umi heaved a sigh of relief, “That was legitimately scary.” 

“I couldn’t agree more.” Yosuke said.

* * *

After lunch, Hiroshi went to the shared bedroom he had with Kotori and looked at the papers in the brown envelope again. He was thinking if he should tell her about it. He got a lot of answers for his questions during the morning. He had also prepared a script to say to his wife about his condition. He made it up during the training, and took the rest of the time to memorize it. Now all he had to do was to tell Kotori.

That ain’t no easy feat. He didn’t want to hide this any longer from Kotori, but he didn’t want to upset her either. It was hard to make a decision. He then got a call from someone. 

“Hello?” He answered it, “This is Hiroshi Oshiro...Oh....okay, I see...Yeah, I’ll meet you soon...Numazu, right? Alright, I’ll be there around three, so please wait for me. That’s all.” He then ended the call.

“Hiroshi-chan!” Kotori called out for him while she walked up the stairs. He quickly stuffed the papers back into the envelope and stuffed into the middle drawer instead of the first. He didn’t notice it, nor did he have the time to.

“I’m about to clean the house now.” She told him, “I just wanted to let you know that.”

“Oh, I’m going out soon.” He responded, “I’m meeting a friend at Numazu. I’ll clean my drawer when I am done with my stuff. I’ll be back for dinner, so you can cook my share.”

“Alright.” She kissed his cheeks, “See you later, dear.” He kissed her back and waved goodbye before walking out of the house. With that, she started cleaning the house. 

While she was cleaning their bedroom, she went to the cupboard as she wanted to start from there. She didn’t touch the first drawer as it was Hiroshi’s drawer. She respected his privacy, and decided to move on to the next drawer: the middle drawer.

She opened it and saw the brown envelope. It had Hiroshi’s name and the previous day’s date on it, and she wondered if he had accidentally left it in here instead of his own drawer. However, she was curious about this envelope too. What could be inside this? Anyways, it was left in the shared drawer, so it was not counted as a breach of privacy.

She opened it and took out the papers. She looked through it and got a horrifying shock from reading it. She immediately stopped cleaning the house and called Yosuke and Umi to meet up with her this instant.

* * *

In the café, Umi and Yosuke were sitting at a table, wondering why Kotori had told them to meet up with her. She didn’t sound too happy too.

“Maybe she had a fight with Hiroshi-chan?” Umi asked. Yosuke could only shrug his shoulders as he himself did not know what had happened.

Kotori came into the café and went to their table. She sat down and glared at the two of them.

“K...Kotori-chan, why are you staring at us like that?” Yosuke asked sheepishly, “That look is kinda scary.”

“You two had nothing to say when Eli-chan and the rest talked about the questions Hiroshi-chan asked, and you two were also with him when he helped you to move furniture into your house.” Kotori retorted sternly, “You two know something about why he’s acting like that, right?” Umi and Yosuke were stuck. They wanted to get out of this situation so badly, but they knew they couldn't.

“K...know what?” Umi gave a fake smile, “We don’t know anything at all on why Hiroshi-chan is like that now. Maybe he’s facing some difficulty writing songs?”

Kotori took out the envelope and placed it on the table, “The envelope, I believed, came yesterday. It is the same exact date you asked Hiroshi-chan to move in stuff. Don’t tell me that is a coincidence.”

“It is, Kotori-chan!” Yosuke said, “Look, we didn’t even know he got that envelope! Perhaps you should ask him.”

“You’re still lying to me?!” Kotori stood up and slammed her fists on the table. Yosuke and Umi hugged each other in fear while the rest of the customers looked at the trio. It was the very first time Kotori had lost her cool.

“You had the guts to lie to me, just because you think I’m a soft woman!” Kotori screamed at them, “You two better tell me the truth about his condition now, or don’t ever consider me your friend!”

“We...we really don’t know, Kotori-chan!” Yosuke cried, “We just brought him to the hospital because he had breathing problems and fainted! He told us he got stage three lung cancer and that’s all we know! He never told us anything else! Never!”

“Y...you gotta believe us, Kotori!” Umi whimpered, “We really are telling the truth now. We guessed that he asked the questions this morning because he wanted to confess it to you. We don’t know anything else, we swear!”

Kotori took the envelope and stormed out of the café. Yosuke and Umi looked at each other before gulping in fear. The two of them had failed their mission in keeping it secret, and now they were sure Kotori was going to explode at Hiroshi.

* * *

In the evening, Hiroshi opened the door to the house and walked to his room. He was exhausted from traveling back and forth to Numazu on a train. All he wanted to do now was lie down on the bed and sleep for a while.

He switched on the lights and was immediately greeted by Kotori sitting on the bed. He got frightened and jumped back, “Holy shit, Kotori. You scared me. What are you doing sitting on the bed?”

“You’re gonna tell me something, right?” She asked.

“What are you talking about, Kotori?” Hiroshi questioned, “There’s nothing to tell you. I went out with a friend at Numazu. That’s all. If you want to know the details, it’s a female friend, and we went to her house to chill and talk.”

“I’ll ask again.” She looked at him, “You’re gonna tell me something, right?”

“I have nothing else, Kotori.” Hiroshi said, “I don’t know why you’re kicking up a fuss here. Did anything happen?” 

Kotori stood up and took out the envelope from her bag, “Yours, isn’t it?” Hiroshi was speechless. He had no idea how that ended up in her hands. It then struck him that he accidentally placed it in the middle drawer, not his own drawer. He screwed up.

“Look, Kotori, I can explain...”

“I thought a husband and his wife weren't supposed to lie to each other.” Kotori said, “I thought we promised ourselves not to hide anything from each other. If that’s the case, why did you hide this from me?”

Hiroshi could only mutter a ‘I’m sorry’ as he looked down onto the floor. 

“Why?!” She shouted at him, throwing the envelope at him, “Why did you hide this big thing from me?! How long did you plan to tuck this away for?!”

“Forever, Kotori! Forever!” Hiroshi proceeded to sigh, “I was right. If I told you I had stage three lung cancer, you wouldn’t be able to take it, like right now. I don’t want you to be despondent, you know. I’m sorry.”

“Do you think you could hide it from me forever?” Tears started appearing in her eyes, and her voice started getting quivery, “If I found this out while you’re on the hospital bed dying, how do you think I’ll feel? I would feel like I have failed as a wife. I couldn’t save you, and I didn’t ask you if anything was wrong. All I could do by then is watch you die. Do you think I want that to happen? Do you think my heart could take it watching my own loved one die in front of me?

“I’m sorry, Kotori.” Hiroshi bowed, “I really didn’t mean to hide it from you. I really wanted to tell you earlier, but I couldn’t bring myself to. You looked so hardworking, and you were so excited to live your life with me. How could I tell you? I don’t have the courage to see you sad. I don’t want my wife to be devastated over this.”

She ran to him and hugged him while crying, “I’m scared, Hiroshi-chan. I really want to spend the rest of my life with you. I love you so much, Hiroshi-chan. I can’t bear to lose you.”

“I don’t want to lose you too, Kotori.” Hiroshi patted her head, “I want to spend more time with you. I promise to find a doctor to cure my cancer. I will be cured and I’ll be able to be with you.”

“I want to help you find specialists, Hiroshi-chan.” Kotori muffled through his shirt, “Can I?”

“Of course you can, silly.” He grinned and patted her back as she sniffled on his shirt. 

After dinner, Kotori went onto the Internet and tried to find doctors who could help her husband with lung cancer. She searched high and low, emailed them, and even called them. Even when Hiroshi was already asleep, she didn’t stop. She was determined to find the perfect doctor to cure Hiroshi, even if it meant sacrificing her own sleep.

* * *

Hiroshi woke up at three in the morning and saw that Kotori was not beside him on the bed. He got out of the bed and slowly walked out of the room to get a cup of water. His throat was so dry for some reason, and he didn’t know why.

As he was walking down the stairs, he heard Kotori typing away on her keyboard. He looked down and saw her still looking for doctors through websites. She settled on one website and whipped out her phone to call the hotline.

“Yeah, I just want to know if Dr Henry is around right now.” Kotori was talking to the caller, “The website states he’s a really good doctor, and I know he got a lot of good reviews online too. I don’t mind paying the money.”

“He’s not in his office right now.” The caller replied, “Perhaps you can leave your name and phone number. I’ll write it down and then pass it to him.”

“Alright. My name is Kotori Minami.” She then said her number. After that, she ended the call and went back to her laptop to type in emails to send to the various doctors. Hiroshi sighed at the sight. He felt guilty that his wife was not sleeping because she wanted to help him.

* * *

A few hours later, the sun shone brightly on Kotori as she woke up from her sleep. She fell asleep on the sofa while trying to find specialists to treat Hiroshi’s lung cancer. 

She stretched her arms and yawned softly. She was about to go up to the bedroom to see if Hiroshi’s awake when the main door opened. Hiroshi walked in with a loaf of bread before closing the door.

“You went out to buy bread?” Kotori asked.

“Yup, let’s eat breakfast.” He said. He went to the dining table and waited for Kotori to make them cups of tea. Once they had their bread and drinks, they started eating.

“I’ve found some doctors who might be able to help you.” She told him, “I’ve called them a few minutes ago. They haven’t replied yet though. I’ll try to contact them again later.”

“You know, Kotori, I’ve noticed the panda eyes.” Hiroshi commented, “You didn’t sleep well, right? You’ve been forgoing your own sleep because of me, right?”

“You saw me in the living room?” 

He nodded his head before holding her hands, “Kotori, I don’t want you to stay up in the wee hours of the morning. I know you care about me a lot, and I appreciate that. However, I don’t want you to ruin your own health. You made me worried for you, you know?”

“I’m sorry, Hiroshi-chan.” Kotori responded, “I just really want you to recover.”

“Don’t be sorry for it.” He caressed her hair, “I know you meant well. Look, if you want to help me search, then I have one condition.”

Kotori looked at him with curiosity.

“Do not sacrifice your sleep for me.” Hiroshi stated, “By midnight, we should all be asleep. If you can’t find it by then, go to sleep and do it the next morning. I don’t want you getting sick. I'll call it all off if you if I see you staying up late again thanks to this. Understand?” Kotori nodded her head and hugged him. He smiled at her.

For the next few hours, Kotori and Hiroshi continued their search for doctors. They managed to get a few numbers, but none of them agreed to do so because either they were busy, or they already retired from that profession. Still, they didn’t give up hope. They went to hospitals in Japan, and consulted many doctors to help them.

* * *

Two days later, Kotori and Hiroshi were sitting on the sofa in the living room at night. They were watching µ's first live performance at home. They have finally found a doctor who could do a surgery on Hiroshi in a few days, so they are celebrating by enjoying the first live performance from the famous idol group.

While they were watching it, Kotori’s stomach grumbled. Hiroshi looked at her while she held her stomach.

“Oops, I’m kinda hungry now.” Kotori stood up, “Perhaps I’ve eaten a light dinner. Those dishes didn’t really fill me up.”

“You ate three bowls of rice, Kotori.” Hiroshi said, “You also finished a plate of vegetables by yourself. How are you still hungry?”

“I don’t know.” She laughed sheepishly as she scratched her head, “I think it’s because I’m pregnant, hehe. I’ve read on the Internet and heard from my friends that pregnant women tend to have really good appetites. I really want to eat a slice of cheesecake now. I’m craving for it.”

She then stood up, “Pause the live for me. I’ll go out and get it at the bakery nearby, then we can watch it after I come back.”

“Huh? You’re going out to get it?” Hiroshi asked, “No, no, no, Kotori. You sit down. I’ll go and buy it for you. You’re pregnant after all. You should take a rest.”

“Hiroshi-chan, I appreciate the thought, but it’s best that I go.” She replied, “You’re not feeling too well yourself either. You can get tired easily without doing anything. I want you to rest at home.”

“Pfft, buying a cheesecake is no problem, Kotori.” Hiroshi retorted, “It requires so little time. Besides, the bakery is just nearby. I’m just walking to buy a slice of cake, not carrying furniture or doing any tiring stuff. I want you to be careful with our baby. Trust me on this one, alright?”

“Alright.” Kotori pecked his cheeks, “That’s really sweet of you, Hiroshi-chan. I’ll let you buy it. I’ll be awaiting my slice of cheesecake.”

Hiroshi smiled at her and kissed her on the cheeks too before going off. She sat down on the sofa happily and waited for him. 

* * *

Thirty minutes had passed, and Hiroshi had not come home yet. Kotori started to get a bit worried and tried to call him, but there was no response. She tried again and again, but to no avail. At this point, she was very worried now. She put on her jacket and went out of the house to find him. 

She looked up and down, left and right for her husband, but there were no signs of him. As she went past a zebra crossing, she saw a group of people gathering around something in the town square. Interested to know why there are so many people, she walked to the cluster. Once she was there, she could hear a lot of murmuring. She also saw people pointing at something on the floor.

“Is that person okay?” One guy asked.

“He just fainted out of nowhere.” Another said, “It kinda scared me.”

“Someone should try and wake this man up.” A third one voiced out. Hearing all these people talk made Kotori anxious. She pushed through the crowd, praying that it was not Hiroshi who was unconscious.

Unfortunately, true enough, it was him, lying unconscious on the floor. Kotori knelt down beside him and shook his body, “Hiroshi-chan, wake up! Don’t do this to me! Don’t leave me please!”

Immediately, all the attention turned towards her. People started calling for the ambulance while some went forward and helped a crying Kotori to do CPR on him. 

Kotori wasn’t prepared for this. Stress, devastation, and helplessness overwhelmed her all at once. Still, she hoped and prayed Hiroshi would be fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to add this last chapter, but it has been 3 months since this book was published! And 1500 reads too! I'm very grateful to each and every one of you for reading and commenting on this! I really appreciate it. With that said, please look forward to the finale on Friday! Thank you.


	31. Beginning Of An End

Kotori sat outside the emergency ward, waiting anxiously for the doctors’ analysis. She couldn’t believe that something bad could happen to Hiroshi. She didn’t want to lose her husband. Umi and Yosuke rushed to her upon seeing her.

“What happened to Hiroshi-chan, Kotori?” Umi asked worriedly. 

“He...he...he volunteered to buy some cheesecake for me.” She sniffled, “A...and then he...he went out...for thirty minutes...I went to find him...and I saw him...on the floor...unconscious...He didn’t wake up...I’m so scared, Umi-chan...” She was on the verge of crying. 

Umi hugged her and patted her head, “Everything’s going to be fine, Kotori.” Yosuke hoped that that would be true. He didn’t want to lose his best friend.

A few minutes later, the other members of µ's came over. Because they were very confused as to why Hiroshi was in the emergency ward, Yosuke explained to them that he has stage three lung cancer. They were shocked, to say the least.

“Stage three...lung cancer?” Eli was speechless.

“Was that why he asked us a lot of those weird questions?” Hanayo questioned.

“It must be.” Maki replied, “There’s no way a normal person would be going around asking these types of stuff.”

“Does this mean...he will die?” Nozomi asked, “What...are we going to do without him?” All of them immediately went quiet. Silence filled the room for a good whole minute before Yosuke cleared his throat.

“He...” He gulped in fear before continuing, “...will make it. We need to believe in him.” He was still holding onto this small glimpse of hope, praying he would make out of this alive. So were the girls. 

The operation lasted throughout the night until two in the morning. By that time, everyone except Kotori was quite tired. They have been staying up for five hours. At this time, they should be at home sleeping away, but right now, they are in the hospital. They were trying to force themselves not to sleep as they wanted to know the results of Hiroshi’s condition.

After waiting a while more, the doctors finally came out of the ward. Kotori got up and went to them, “Doctors, how is my husband? Is he alright now?” The doctor looked at her grimly, which signaled to the rest of them that something bad must have happened.

“The cancer cells in his body has spread rapidly.” He told the girls and Yosuke, “Right now, he has stage four lung cancer, and it is likely to be incurable. Treatments and surgeries would only slow the progression of the disease. He only has a maximum of three months left to live.” Everyone was shocked beyond belief upon hearing that.

“Is there nothing you can do to save him?” Umi asked.

“I’m sorry, we’ve tried our best.” The doctor shook his head and bowed before walking off. Nobody could believe or take in what the doctor had just said. It sounded so unreal. 

Kotori was affected the most, as compared to the rest. Her husband was going to leave her one day, and it’s not that far away from now. She wished this was all a horrible nightmare, and that she would wake up from it. However, reality hit her hard like a wrecking ball. 

“Let’s just visit him inside, shall we?” Yosuke voiced out.

**\--µ’s--**

Yosuke and the members of µ's went into Hiroshi’s ward, where he was lying on the bed. Everyone crowded around the bed as he smiled weakly at them.

“I’m sorry for making everybody worried.” He said, “I lied to everyone except Kotori, Umi, and Yosuke because I didn’t want to ruin the happy mood you girls were having. I figured the best time to tell you is when I’m about to die.”

“You kept such a big thing from us.” Nico folded her arms, “You shouldn’t have done that. You’re gonna make everyone devastated when they learn about the news as you are on your last breath.”

“I want you to consider your own feelings, Hiroshi-chan.” Nozomi uttered, “I know you care for us and our feelings, but sometimes, just be selfish for a moment.”

Hiroshi looked at everyone as they had tears in their eyes. They were either on the verge of crying, or were already crying. 

“Don’t cry, guys.” He said, “I will still be here with you for a while. I just want to spend time with everyone and make the people around me happy too during my last few days. I really wish all of you could be happy around me too. I don’t want to see anyone sad because of my condition, something we all can’t change. I hope you can treat every day as a normal day. Like how we usually do. That’s how we make these last few times the best. Can that be done for me? Please?” He was also trying to hold back his tears, knowing that he was going to die. 

Everyone cleared their tears and looked at each other before nodding their heads. Hiroshi was confused as to why they were acting like that. Eli cleared her throat and stepped forward.

“You truly wished to help bring µ's back to life.” She said, “I could see that passion in your eyes. You never failed to care for us, helping us in songwriting and ideas every time, even to a point you got sick. Your dedication to reform and manage µ's is really fantastic, and you also brought us all together again. You reignited our passion for idols. Thank you, Hiroshi.”

“I remember you finding me in the sushi restaurant I used to work in.” Hanayo spoke out next, “Back then, I was scared to be an idol again. All I did was cower in fear, and stuck to the same routine, working in that harsh restaurant because I thought it was the only help for me and my mother with financial issues. You helped me pay my debt, and changed my mind that idols aren’t useless at all. Thank you, Hiroshi-chan.”

Rin went afterwards, “Back then, when my father had mental illness, I wasn’t confident of myself. I didn’t trust anyone except Kayo-chin and Maki-chan. I wanted to support my father. I wanted to take care of him, and make sure he is well and alive, after all the pain he had gone through. I really wished to dance and sing again. You made it a reality. You convinced me that you had a plan, and you did. You even helped me find a caretaker for him. You changed my life, and no words can describe how grateful I am to you. Thank you, Hiroshi-chan.”

“I wasn’t sure of my feelings when I saw you at the airport.” Nozomi uttered, “To that, you helped me by telling me what to do and giving me a list of things I should or should not say. That allowed me to join the group with ease. Every time I had anxiety, you would be there to talk to me, calm me down, and list out the solution. You helped me a lot. Thank you, Hiroshi-chan.”

“You took so much effort stalking me and my whereabouts.” Nico smirked, “Although I resisted for a very long time, you didn’t give up. You knew I like being an idol, so you went out of your way to convince me to go back to being an idol. You showed me it is possible. You made me believe in idols again. Thank you, Hiroshi-chan.”

“I’ll admit; I didn’t know much about you.” Maki said, “You went ahead and gathered almost all the members of µ's together. But I know that you put in a lot of effort and hard work managing us. You took the time to bond with us, care for us, and write for us. You promoted our songs, and even didn’t cheat us out of the profits. We all got our fair share. You really did a good job as a manager. You helped some of us with our personal problems too, when you had a personal problem yourself. You chose to think for others instead of yourself, and that’s a very outstanding quality of yours. I want you to know that I admire you a lot. Thank you for everything, Hiroshi-chan.”

“Remember the first time I scolded you, in a restaurant in America?” Umi grinned, “I thought you were a heartless bastard. One that doesn’t deserve kindness. However, I was wrong. You proved to me that being an idol again and back in µ's isn’t a bad thing after all, and that we would all succeed. You even bet your life on it. You told us to chase our dreams bravely, and that you’ll be alongside us, helping us. You are very kind and friendly towards me too, and helped me a lot with my personal issues. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Hiroshi-chan.”

“I am so glad to have met you.” Kotori smiled at her husband with tears in her eyes, “Not only have you made me and the rest of us believe in being idols again, you make me feel loved. I really appreciate all the things you have done for me, and for µ's. I really love you. Thank you so much, Hiroshi-chan. You’re the best husband I could ask for.”

“You took me aback by surprise when you came to find me in the hotel room.” Honoka spoke, “I was initially adamant about reforming µ's or becoming an idol again. Life was tough that time. However, you convinced me that it is worth chasing my dreams. Our dreams. The reconciliation of all of us. You encouraged me to become an idol once more, and help you reform µ's. Because you have hope and faith in µ's, and in us. You cared for us and our well-beings a lot. You’ve placed others before yourself. We really all appreciate that. Thank you, Hiroshi-chan.”

“Last but not least, you were the one that started it all.” Yosuke talked, “If you didn’t decide to help me at all, µ's wouldn’t even be a thing today. None of these girls would ever have the courage to pursue their dreams, and mine wouldn’t turn into a reality. Thank you, Hiroshi.”

All of them then bowed down and said together harmoniously, “Thank you, Hiroshi-chan!” With that, they all started crying. Kotori hugged Hiroshi while Umi did the same to Yosuke. The rest got into a group hug.

Hiroshi started tearing up upon hearing that, “I...really want to thank all of you for lighting up my life too. You guys made me a happier man, and allowed me to have a more cheerful and interesting life. This would be the last time we cry, okay? I don’t want to see anyone cry again because of this.” He caressed Kotori’s hair and started crying too, along with the others.

* * *

At night, Hanayo went to visit Alan in prison. She was the only one who cared to visit him every month. He’s happy Hanayo is willing to see him, even after all the bad things he had done.

“So you say...Hiroshi’s about to die?” He asked her.

She slowly nodded her head, “He has been hit with stage four lung cancer. The doctor said he doesn’t have much more time to live.”

“Oh.” That was all he could say. He did not know how to react to the news, granted it was thrown out of nowhere. He still hated a part of Hiroshi too for not giving him a chance.

The two of them stared at each other awkwardly before Hanayo broke the silence, “Did you get into any trouble this week?”

“No, Hanayo-chan. I listened to your words, and stopped talking back to the man. He got reprimanded and punished by the police officers. Your way really helped me.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“How about you? How’s the music coming along for µ's?”

“It’s been delayed indefinitely now, thanks to the bad news. I say we’re about seventy percent done, so that shouldn’t be too much of a problem.”

“I can’t wait to hear it, Hanayo-chan.” Alan grinned at her. 

“Time’s up.” The police guard announced. Hanayo stood up and smiled at Alan. She waved goodbye to him and he waved back before they both went their separate ways.

* * *

In the hospital, Nozomi visited Hiroshi. Kotori had gone to buy dinner for herself since he had eaten the hospital’s dinner meal, leaving the two alone in the ward.

“Do you need anything, Hiroshi-chan?” Nozomi asked, “A cup of water, perhaps? Coffee? Tea? Hot chocolate?”

“Water will do.” He replied. She went to take a glass and poured some water before giving it to him. He thanked her before drinking it.

“You know, Nozomi, I want to tell you something.” He placed the glass on the table beside him. She sat up and looked at him curiously.

“I hope you’d go to Eli and confess your feelings to her.” His response took her by surprise and shock. 

“Kotori wanted to travel around the world with me during our free time.” He sighed, “However, we only went to France. We wanted to go to Korea, Australia, and even Italy for her fashion things. But now, because I got this, it was all canceled off. I know I spent a lot of time together with her, but I didn’t fulfill one of her wishes. I really regret not putting time aside to travel with her. I should’ve done so when I had the free time.”

“I understand how you feel, Hiroshi-chan.” Nozomi patted his shoulder, “I’m sorry that it happened to you. You and Kotori-chan are a really wholesome loving couple.”

“Nozomi, I do hope you do confess your feelings to Eli.” He told her, “Even if you’re rejected by her, it’s the effort that counts. At least you won’t regret it like I did. Don’t wait until it’s too late. It’s better to be safe than sorry.” Nozomi leaned against the chair and thought about it.

* * *

During midnight, the members of µ's got into a group call and have a casual conversation.

“A stayover in Otonokizaka High...with Hiroshi-chan and Yosuke-chan?” Hanayo questioned.

“That’s right.” Kotori replied, “I asked the current principal, and he allowed us to stay over in the idol research room! I want to relive old memories. Just like old times. Besides, we could all bond with Hiroshi-chan and Yosuke-chan too. They can get to know the school more too, besides the fact that we saved the school.”

“I agree, nya~” Rin added on, “I think this is a good idea initiated by Kotori-chan to socialize and spend time with Hiroshi-chan and Yosuke-chan. We could also plan more events in the morning and afternoon so that it will be a fun-filled day, nya~!”

“It’s really sad to see him get into this state.” Nico sighed, “After all the things he had done for us, he shouldn’t have been repaid like this.”

“I really can’t believe Hiroshi-chan’s leaving us soon.” Maki muttered, “Just as I was about to get to know him better.”

“It still feels like a dream.” Umi uttered. Everyone looked down. They want to be positive. They are happy to spend time with their manager. However, deep down, they’re also devastated that they don’t have enough time, and that he’s going to leave this world one day.

“Girls, remember what Hiroshi said?” Eli interrupted them, “He wanted us to be happy during these few days. His wish is for us not to cry or get sad over his condition anymore. Let’s respect that, alright? We all know it’s pretty sorrowful, but we want Hiroshi to be smiling even if he passes away. We want it to be his best moments of his life, so I do hope we can fulfill that.”

“Eli-chan’s right!” Honoka replied, “Let’s all be happy, so that it’ll make Hiroshi-chan and Yosuke-chan happy too! We are idols, and we don’t want to be spreading negativity around. Let’s make everyone happy!” The rest of them except Nozomi nodded their heads, agreeing with what the two girls have to say. Nozomi, however, seemed distracted. She was thinking if she should risk her friendship with Eli and admit that she is in love with her. 

“Nozomi, you’re quiet this whole time.” Eli spoke out, “Are you okay? Are you not feeling well?”

“Uh...m...me? No, I’m feeling alright!” Nozomi answered, “I’m just thinking about something personal.” The blonde nodded her head. Everyone then waved goodbye before logging off. Nozomi closed her laptop and laid her head on the laptop top.

* * *

The next morning, Hanayo went to visit her mother in the hospital ward. Her mother had finally gained consciousness three months ago, but she still can’t speak well. She needed to have some check-ups before she could be discharged.

“Okaa-san, are you feeling okay today?” Hanayo asked, placing a packet of grapes on the table. Her mother nodded her head. Hanayo took a chair and sat beside the patient’s bed.

“I bought some fresh grapes from the market.” Hanayo told her, “I heard these are one of the best in town, and they’re sold out fast, so I woke up early to get them! Here, try them.” She opened the packet, took a grape, and fed it to her mother. 

“How is it, Okaa-san?” Hanayo questioned. Her mother smiled and gave the thumbs up. Hanayo smiled back and continued feeding her mother.

* * *

“A sleepover in your high school’s idol research room?” Hiroshi asked Kotori when she visited him, “That’s the room you used for your idol activities in high school, right?”

“Mhmm.” She nodded her head, “I wanted all of us to spend time together. Me and the other members of µ's did it once, and it was awesome! We ate dinner cooked by Nico-chan and even went to the rooftop to admire the night blue skies and stars!”

“Sounds interesting. If that’s for the night, what about the rest of the day?” 

“We plan to go to the Mejiro Garden to look at the autumn trees and discover the gardens.” Kotori explained, “After that, we can take lunch, and then we will go wherever you want to go.”

“Wherever I want to go?” Hiroshi asked, “Indeed, I do wanna go to some places. That’s a really good idea. Thank you, my beautiful wife.” She beamed and hugged him.

“I’m interested to know where you’d want to go though.” She said to him.

“You’ll know when the day comes.”

* * *

In a café, Nozomi nervously tapped her fingers on the table. She had invited Eli out for lunch, with a plan to confess her love. She was feeling anxious about it. She was worried that Eli might not accept her love, and that their friendship might be ruined. 

However, it’s no denying she had a burning curiosity and wanted to give it a try. Just like what Hiroshi told her, she will regret it if she doesn’t confess to Eli. 

“Hey, Nozomi.” Eli waved at her before sitting down, “Sorry. I was a bit late due to the train being a bit slow.”

“It’s okay, Eli-chi.” Nozomi replied. The both of them ordered some food before giving the menus back to the waiter. 

“So, what’s the occasion, Nozomi?” Eli asked, “Why are you treating me lunch today? Is there something you want to ask? Do you need my help?”

“Oh...oh no!” She smiled sheepishly, “I just wanted to thank you for being my best friend since high school. You’ve always been helping me, and is always by my side whenever something bad happens. I’m thankful for you.”

“Ah, so that’s what it is, huh?” Eli responded, “You’re treating me only today, after all I have done over the years, eh?”

“N...no...”

“Relax, Nozomi.” Eli patted her shoulder as she laughed, “I was just teasing you. Take it easy. Anyways, you don’t have to thank me. We’re besties. I would always help you in a heartbeat. I don’t need a gift in return. I just hope you continue to be my friend.”

“Of course!” Nozomi exclaimed, “You’re such a great person. Why would I not want you to be my friend?” Eli grinned at that.

Once they were done with their lunch, they went to take a walk in the nearby shopping centre while conversing about their daily lives. While Eli was talking about Alisa having a crush, Nozomi is thinking of an appropriate time to confess.

On their way to the supermarket, they saw a flower shop. Nozomi took this as an opportunity and went into the shop. Eli saw it and followed her.

“You’re buying flowers for someone, Nozomi?” Eli asked.

“Yup.” Nozomi replied as she requested for a bouquet of roses. The florist arranged the flowers nicely before passing the bouquet to her. She bowed down and walked out of the shop.

“Is that for your crush?” Eli questioned. Nozomi nodded her head. 

“That can’t be me, even if I hoped it would be.” The blonde thought to herself, “Why would she like her best friend anyways? I should wish her good luck in getting her future boyfriend. That’s what a friend would do.”

She then turned to Nozomi, “That’s great to hear. I wish you good luck in...” She stopped talking when Nozomi passed the bouquet to her. Eli was speechless.

“I...I like you, Eli-chi!” Nozomi exclaimed, “No...I love you, Eli-chi! I admit that I ran away from you to London without notice because I wanted to forget the feelings I had for you. However, when I came back, it was still the same, and it still is. I just couldn’t forget it. I initially didn’t have the courage to confess to you in fear of breaking our friendship, but I don’t want to wait till it’s too late to do so. Even if I fail, at least I’ve tried!”

There was a moment of dead silence. Nozomi looked down, fearful of the outcome. Eli stared at her, still shocked from her words. Eli then glanced at the bouquet before placing it on a bench nearby. She took up Nozomi’s hands, held it, and then looked at her. 

“Actually, I didn’t expect this at all. That you’d feel the same way as me.” 

“Wait, are you serious?” Nozomi tilted her head up, “You’re not lying?”

Eli grinned at her and shook her head, “I really love you too, Nozomi. I’ve been hiding it for quite long too. Nico and Maki knew about this as I told them about it. I hope you don’t mind being with me.”

‘N...no worries!” Nozomi blushed, “I don’t mind because I want to be with you.”

“I know we both are klutzes when it comes to romance.” Eli uttered, “However, I do hope we can figure this relationship out together, and make this work out. We’ll take it step by step, alright?” Nozomi nodded her head and the both of them smiled. They then hugged each other. 

* * *

In Rin’s house, she took out dishes of food and placed them on the dining table. She cooked some cabbage, fishcakes, and a big roasted duck for lunch, and invited Peter and her father to eat.

“Wow, what a scrumptious meal we are having today, Rin-chan.” Peter commented, “Is there something special going on? Are you having a new single out soon?”

“Nope. I just wanted to cook something big for you guys.” She responded, “After all, you and Otou-san have been eating simple meals from me, or packed food from outside. Thus, you two must eat something big today.”

She stood up before she continued speaking, “Besides, I’ve learnt a very important lesson from my manager. Never wait until it’s too late to cherish the moments with your loved ones. You might not know when they might leave you. I know that I didn’t spend as much time with Otou-san thanks to my idol activities. Me and the girls have reached a decision. Each of us will be taking a break from idol activities from Friday to Sunday. Now, I can spend more time with Otou-san.”

“That is indeed a very good idea.” Peter replied, clapping his hands, “I’m sure your father is very happy to hear that and appreciates your effort.”

Rin then went to her father and hugged him, “I love you so much, Otou-san. I will never leave you. I promise to be with you more often.”

* * *

In Nico’s apartment, she brought bowls of rice with vegetables and fried eggs to her three siblings and her mother. She went back into the kitchen and brought a big plate of chicken katsu curry rice for Maki.

“Thank you, Nico-chan.” Maki pecked her girlfriend’s cheek.

“What? Maki-san gets the good food?” Cocoa whined, “Why do we get simple food while she gets the delicious one?” Cotaro just softly hammered the table with his small toy hammer.

“I am trying to please my girlfriend here.” Nico cleared her throat before sitting beside Maki, “Also, Mama told me to prepare a simple lunch for her and the three of you. You can complain to her if you want to.”

“That’s right. I don’t think we need such an extravagant lunch like Maki-chan’s.” Her mother added on, “Anyways, the two of you, I am still waiting for my grandchild. When will that exactly happen? Do you plan to wait until I am in my nineties before you start doing it?”

“No, Mama!” Nico answered, “I will give you a grandchild soon! We just need more time. The two of us were preoccupied by idol activities previously. Right now, we have more time to ourselves.”

“Well, that’s good to hear.” Her mother replied, “It’d be good if it’s a boy. I don’t want Cotaro to be the only male in this house.” Nico sighed and nodded her head. 

“We’ll try our best, Yazawa-san.” Maki bowed. After lunch, Nico and Maki went into the former’s room before locking the door.

“I’m sorry if Mama keeps rushing you to have a baby with me.” Nico apologized, “I know it’s very stressful.”

“It’s okay, Nico-chan.” Maki held her hands, “I understand how your mother feels. Even if I’m feeling stressed, it’s nothing compared to what I have suffered from Otou-san.”

“Still, I don’t want you to feel stressed. It is not normal. In all honesty, I do want to have one child too. We can take it slow and steady. One day, we’ll do it, but only when you’re comfortable with it.” Maki smiled at Nico and laid her head on the latter’s shoulder.

* * *

In Hiroshi’s ward, he is preparing to take an afternoon nap. Kotori covered his body with the blanket and kissed his forehead before leaving the room. As she was closing the door, Yosuke, Umi, and Honoka came to the ward.

“Kotori-chan, why are you closing the door?” Honoka questioned.

“Hiroshi-chan’s sleeping now, so I don’t want anyone to disturb him.” Kotori replied, “I’m sorry if you made a trip all the way here just to visit him. He’s feeling tired and restless, so I wanted him to take a nap.”

“That’s good too.” Umi said, “Anyways, have you told him the plan for the outing?”

“Yeah, but he didn’t tell me where he wanted to go. He did mention that there are a few places, but he won’t reveal it until the day comes.” 

At the same time, as Hiroshi was trying to sleep, his chest suddenly felt pain. He grabbed it and groaned in pain. Out of the blue, his heart rate shot up, and the patient monitor started beeping rapidly and loudly. Kotori heard the noise and opened the door. She immediately ran to him with a worried expression on her face, “Hiroshi-chan!”

“What the hell happened?” Yosuke asked. The other two shrugged their shoulders. The trio went in the ward to take a look and were shocked to see Hiroshi unconscious with a high pulse. Yosuke quickly ran out of the ward to search for a doctor while Umi and Honoka rushed to Kotori. A few seconds later, the doctors and surgeons rushed in and told the girls to evacuate the ward.

Kotori buried her face in her hands and started sobbing as she was worried for Hiroshi. Honoka and Umi hugged her and reassured her that everything would be fine, and that Hiroshi won’t die. Yosuke looked at the trio and sighed. A few minutes later, the surgeons came out. One of them told the girls and Yosuke something that made the four shocked.

* * *

At night, Kotori initiated a group call with the members of µ’s. She told them that she wanted to change the date of the group outing from the following week to two days after. Other than Umi and Honoka, everyone else was shocked.

“But...but why though?” Rin asked, “I’ve already promised my father that I’d bring him out to the zoo on that day itself.”

“Yeah, what’s with the sudden change?” Nico asked, “I don’t know if I have anything that day.”

“You gave us this announcement at such short notice.” Eli said, “I have already planned to go out with my sister to do some shopping for her class materials. I need to ask her if we could go another day.”

“What’s the urgent rush, Kotori-chan?” Nozomi questioned.

“Girls, I know this is all so unexpected.” Honoka voiced out, “You might or might not have plans on that day, but Kotori-chan has a reason for why she is doing so. I’ll leave it to her to explain it to you.”

Kotori, however, just broke down in tears as she looked away from the screen. Upon taking a glance at her, Umi decided to speak up, “The doctors found out that the cancer cells in Hiroshi-chan’s body had been spreading rapidly, and that now they’re unsure if he could even live for three months at all.”

“Hiroshi-chan’s condition worsened?” Maki was surprised, “This has certainly taken a wrong turn.”

“With that said, me, Honoka, and Kotori decided that we should have this outing earlier.” Umi continued, “We do not know when Hiroshi-chan will leave us, and we don’t want to risk our luck waiting till the actual date. I do hope you understand the situation and agree to it.” Hanayo and Nozomi were the first ones to nod their heads in agreement. Nico and Maki were next. Finally, Rin and Eli gave in and acceded to the request.

* * *

The next morning, Kotori visited Hiroshi in his ward. She sat beside his bed and passed him a glass of water. He took it with wobbly hands and drank it slowly before passing it back to her. This whole time, she was silent.

“Why are you so quiet, Kotori?” He asked, “Is it because of my condition?”

She did not say a single word.

“Look, Kotori. I know this isn’t anticipated, neither is it foreseen.” He told her, “However, I kinda expected it. My father and mother got cancer, and Posty got lung cancer before the accident. It’s like a family thing. I just want to enjoy the remainder of my life with you, µ’s, and Yosuke. I don’t want it to be depressing or sad. I do hope you can try your best to be cheerful and not be devastated.”

“How am I supposed to not be devastated?” Kotori asked sadly, “I’m about to lose my husband. My loved one. The man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. Do you expect me to be cheerful when you are about to die? Do you expect to put on a fake smile every time?” She then started to cry. Hiroshi slowly sat up and hugged her.

* * *

A day later, the girls and Yosuke gathered in Hiroshi’s ward with their bags. With permission granted from the doctor, they brought Hiroshi out of the hospital. Firstly, they went to the Mejiro Garden to take a look at the plants, sakura trees, and a large pond. They went to the teahouse nearby to have some small snacks and tea, and admired the waterfall. After taking their lunch in a restaurant, Hiroshi decided to bring them to a convention centre. 

“Ahh, I remember this place fondly, Nozomi.” Eli squeezed her girlfriend’s hand tightly and excitedly, “Do you know where this is?”

“Definitely, Eli-chi.” Nozomi smiled, “Although, I would appreciate it if you were to stop squeezing my hand. It’s really painful.”  
“Why are we here, Hiroshi-chan?” Hanayo asked. 

“This…” Hiroshi looked around the stage, “...is the first place where I performed as The Man. Posty brought me out to sing, and it sure was a wonderful experience. Posty also came here to perform when it was his first time, and that’s how Eli and Nozomi became fans of him.”

“This stage looks humongous.” Honoka gave a surprised look, “You must have performed in front of many people.”

“I did. I’m not gonna lie, it was nerve-wracking at that time.”

Next up, he brought them to his high school. He explained to µ’s and Yosuke that he used to be a very rowdy and rebellious boy. He skipped lessons, smoked, and even cheated in exams. One time, he had graffitied the school hall with vulgarities and drawings and almost got away with it. Unfortunately, the principal realized it through the surveillance cameras, and punished him with two strokes of the cane.

“So you were a bad boy before, huh?” Nico asked, “I guess I didn’t expect you to be like this last time. It is so different from what you are now.”

“Yeah, I just chose to change myself because I knew my life would be ruined if I didn’t do so.” Hiroshi replied, “I think the hall’s graffiti had been cleared out of the way, but there’s one place that I would like to go to. Wait for me here.”

He walked to one of the male toilets, and pushed open a cubicle door. On the wall, he saw his name. He grinned at it, “Looks like the graffiti for this toilet is still here even after fifteen years.”

Lastly, he brought them to the cemetery. He told the girls to wait outside while he and Yosuke went in. They walked to the former’s parents’ niches and placed flowers on them. Then, they went to Posty’s one.

“I came to visit you, brother.” Hiroshi said as he prayed, “I do hope you have been doing fine. I am going to join you up there too, so that means we can reunite. I’m married to Kotori, while Yosuke here is married to his favorite idol. We are doing fine. I really miss you, brother.” 

Yosuke then stepped forward, “It’s been long, Hisashi. Sometimes, I always think of the memories that me, Alan, and you have. Those are the good times, talking about your career and µ’s. Well, Alan went to jail for embezzling company funds, and you were gone from us. Thank goodness you have a brother who is willing to be my friend. He reminds me of you a lot. I want to thank you and your brother for entering my life. It has been a pleasure of mine.”

Both of them bowed down before placing flowers in front of his niche. 

* * *

Finally, in the evening, the members of µ’s, Hiroshi, and Yosuke reached Otonokizaka High. Kotori slowly helped Hiroshi out while the rest ran into the high school with excitement and happiness.

“Well, they’re all really upbeat about this, aren’t they?” Hiroshi smiled. 

Kotori nodded her head, “Me too. It’s been so long since we ever had a stayover here. Now, with you and Yosuke-chan, it would be more fun than before.” 

“I do hope not to inconvenience anyone too much with my condition.” Hiroshi told her.

In the Idol Research Club’s room, everyone sat around the table as they ate the rice that Hanayo steamed, and the curry and vegetables that Nico cooked. They talked about how Hiroshi got into music, how Yosuke became his manager, and asked them about their lives. Yosuke has a major in business while Hiroshi has a major in music. Hiroshi also showed them a video of his first live performance.

“I have an announcement to make.” Hiroshi cleared his throat, “From now on, I will pass my manager role down to Yosuke. He will be the new manager of µ’s.” Everyone agreed with him, even when Yosuke is a bit hesitant. Honoka then stood up and went to open the window, and everyone in the room was immediately hit with the cold breeze. All of them shivered except her.

“It’s cold, god damn it!” Yosuke exclaimed, “Why did you open the window, Honoka-chan?”

“I want to look at the stars again, like how we did together eight years ago.” Honoka replied, “Look, the night skies and the stars look so beautiful! We should go to the roof to sightsee, right?” The rest of them nodded their heads.

The eleven of them went up to the rooftop and wore their jackets as they stared at the stars and skies. They were looking in awe, admiring the scenery right in front of their eyes. Hiroshi smiled at them before secretly climbing down the ladder, and went down the staircase.

He walked down the hallway as he thought about his life. Sure, it hadn’t always been awesome all the way. He had faced some enormous difficulties along the way, which included losing a person close to him. However, it had also led him to meet new people, and even marry the love of his life. He wondered if he would be the manager of µ’s, or even meet them if Posty didn’t die in a hit-and-run accident. He stopped outside the Idol Research Room and sighed.

“What’s on your mind?” He heard a voice behind him. He turned back and saw Yosuke.

“I’ve realized you went missing while they were sightseeing.” Yosuke continued, “I thought something might be up with you. Sorry for my sudden appearance.”

“Jesus, you gave me a fright.” Hiroshi groaned before going into the room and switching on the lights, “I was thinking about life. My life, to be exact.”

“Have you thought of the future?” Yosuke asked, “Do you have it all planned out?” 

“Planned out? Somehow.” Hiroshi sat down on a chair, “I have written my will. I have my funeral planned out. I guess almost everything is settled. But I’m worried about Kotori and our baby.”

Yosuke took a chair and sat beside his best friend, “Go ahead. I’m listening.”

“As you know, I have terminal lung cancer, and I might die anytime.” Hiroshi explained, “I might be gone, and leave this world one day. Yet, I didn’t plan anything for Kotori and the baby other than giving them my assets. I’m really concerned about how Kotori is going to raise our child by herself. On top of that, she has to do all the housework and sing with µ’s. All at once, without her husband to help her. She would definitely be mentally drained. I’m scared that she can’t handle the stress all by herself.”

He started tearing up, “Then what about my child? They would grow up without a father. They would have no fatherly love. Their classmates would definitely mock and make fun of them for not having a father at all. The child might be affected mentally, and would blame themselves or Kotori because they don’t have a father, which will tire Kotori even more. What am I supposed to do, Yosuke? I really have no idea at all.” He then wailed softly. 

Yosuke went to hug him, “Don’t worry, Hiroshi. Me and the girls will do our best in helping Kotori. You have my word.” Kotori was hiding outside the classroom all along, eavesdropping their conversation.

* * *

After the rest of the girls came back from sightseeing, they decided to have a singing competition, with Hiroshi and Yosuke being the judges. However, unlike last time in the karaoke bar, now it was a battle between the first-years, second-years, and third-years. In the end, the third-years lost, and their forfeit was almost the same as the previous one. Instead of howling like a wolf, now they have to bark like a dog. The rest laughed as Eli, Nozomi, and Nico barked loudly.

Afterwards, all of them either were preparing to sleep or already asleep, except for Hiroshi and Kotori. The couple roamed around the school as they held hands and strolled slowly.

“It’s been quite long since we had a romantic walk like this, Kotori.” Hiroshi said. 

“Mhm!” Kotori replied, “I always enjoy walks like this! Not only is it very romantic, I also get to spend time with my loving husband.”

“I’m sorry, Kotori.” Hiroshi muttered.

“What’s with the apology, Hiroshi-chan?” Kotori asked with concern, “Is there anything wrong?”

“It’s just...I’m leaving soon…” Hiroshi responded, “You’ll have to do everything yourself, and I feel bad about it…”

“Hey, don’t worry about it!” She grinned at him, “If there’s a will, there’s a way! There’s nothing impossible in this world! Besides, I promised to be your wife. Your problems and responsibilities are mine too. I’m sure I’ll be able to take care of our baby!” Hiroshi was about to say something, but then decided not to talk and continued walking.

“You know, I’ve heard your conversation with Yosuke-chan.” Kotori admitted, “In the room. I know you’re worried about me, Hiroshi-chan. I have to take care of our child on my own, be an idol, and also do all the housework. It’s gonna be stressful and tough.”

“Won’t you blame me for that?” He asked, “I…” Before he could continue, Kotori pulled him towards her and kissed his lips. After a while, they pulled away, with him being visibly stunned.

“Why would I blame you, Hiroshi-chan?” Kotori looked at him, “You have a disease that is incurable and unexpected. It’s not like you wanted it or planned to have it. I will find a way to juggle all of these, you know. Even if I can’t, I got Honoka-chan, Umi-chan, Yosuke-chan, and the rest of µ’s!”

“That’s the bad thing about you, Kotori.” Hiroshi sighed, “You always place people before yourself. You always hide your true feelings. You’re too selfless.” Just then, she slapped him on the left cheek.

“Will you stop being negative?!” She glared at him with teary eyes, “You kept saying you want to be happy these last few days, but you’ve been blabbering on about the bad things about your cancer and blaming yourself for it constantly!”

“Kotori…” 

“Of course I am devastated. Of course I’m heartbroken. My husband, the person I love the most, is leaving me soon. I can’t stop crying because of it everyday.” She clenched her fists tightly before screaming, “But would being depressed and sad would magically make our child grow up?! Do you think that all the housework would be done or I could have an easy life if I cry my heart out in front of my friends?! No, it won’t!” She then looked away and cleared her tears.

“I’m sorry, Kotori.” Hiroshi bowed down.

“You know, I’m sure Honoka-chan and the rest feel the same way I do.” Kotori continued, “They’re equally as sad. They wouldn’t want you to go too. But you wanted us to be happy, and not cry about this anymore. We all put on a very brave front so that we’d fulfill your wish.”

Hiroshi stepped forward and hugged her, “Thank you, Kotori, and sorry.”

“Stop apologizing from now on.” She told him and wrapped her arms around his chest, “It makes your apologies sound insincere. This is not your fault too. I will do whatever I need to do as a wife and mother, because I love you, Hiroshi-chan. I promise you that when I need help, I would ask Honoka-chan and the rest for it. I won’t be stubborn to face my troubles alone.”

Hiroshi smiled at her, “I’m glad to have met you, Kotori. I love you a lot, and I will always be in your heart, no matter where you go.” Both of them then shared a kiss under the moon.

They went back to the Idol Research Club room, and immediately got onto their futons, preparing to sleep. 

“Good night, Hiroshi-chan.” She then pecked his left cheek before turning in. He looked at her for some time, thinking about how lucky he is to have met such a beautiful, cute, and caring woman in his life. He kissed her forehead gently before muttering to her, “Good night, Kotori.” He lied down on his futon and slept.

* * *

At seven thirty the next morning, Kotori woke up as she shut her alarm off. She planned to cook a delicious breakfast for everyone. She wanted everyone to have a happy day ahead. Yosuke and Umi were already awake, so she followed the advice her husband had given her; she went to them and asked them if they could give her a lift to the market to buy some ingredients for breakfast. The duo agreed to the request.

A few minutes later, the rest of the girls woke up too, but Hiroshi didn’t. They went to the home econs room, as instructed by Umi, to have their breakfast. Kotori whipped out a plate of bacon, eggs, and a pancake with maple syrup for each of them. Everyone was amazed by how tasty and delective the food is, and thanked her for the breakfast and her effort. Kotori had a big wide smile on her face. After everyone was done eating, Hanayo and Rin volunteered to wash the plates. 

“Oh, by the way, where’s Hiroshi-chan?” Kotori asked, “Is he still sleeping in the room?”

“I think so.” Maki stretched her arms, “I was the last one to wake up, so Nico-chan waited for me in the room. When we both left, we didn’t see Hiroshi-chan waking up or anything. He’s still sleeping soundly.”

“It’s nine in the morning, and he’s not awake?” Umi questioned, “Is he really that tired? It could be his condition acting up, but he didn’t do anything strenuous yesterday night.”

“You know what? I’ll go disturb him.” Yosuke gave her a cheeky smile, “He will definitely wake up by then.” He then went out of the room. Meanwhile, Kotori went to prepare breakfast for Hiroshi. 

Soon, thirty minutes had passed, and Yosuke didn’t return to them at all. Kotori wondered what had happened to the two men. Was Yosuke really having so much fun waking Hiroshi up that he had forgotten to bring Hiroshi here for breakfast? She didn’t know what was taking them so long.

“Where’s Yosuke and Hiroshi?” Eli asked, “Shouldn’t they be back by now?”

“Maybe they’re having some good time together.” Nozomi joked. Kotori decided to take off her apron and went out of the room. Umi then got a call from Yosuke. She answered it.

Kotori walked into the Idol Research room and saw Yosuke in a corner. However, he was not like himself. He was huffing in and out with deep breaths, and his eyes looked really puffy.

“What’s wrong, Yosuke-chan?” Kotori asked angrily, “Why did it take so long for you to bring Hiroshi-chan over? Are you having so much fun doing so?” Upon hearing that, tears started flowing out of his eyes. 

“Why are you crying?” Kotori was confused. He didn’t reply at all. Only sounds of him trying to hold back his sobs could be heard. Nonetheless, she squatted down beside Hiroshi.

“Rise and shine, Hiroshi-chan.” She kissed his cheeks, “It’s time to wake up. I’ve made breakfast for you. Bacon, eggs, and a pancake. I know you really like eating those, so I specially woke up in the morning to buy those from the supermarket, with help from Yosuke-chan and Umi-chan.”

Hiroshi didn’t respond at all. 

“I didn’t know you were so tired.” Kotori said, “However, you need to eat breakfast to have a healthy body, so please wake up and eat it first. I’ll let you go back to sleep after this.”

Still, he didn’t respond.

“Okay, it’s not funny now, Hiroshi-chan.” Kotori said sternly, “I know you’re pretending to sleep. You’re trying to play a prank on us here. I know you can hear me. You better wake up now, or not I’ll pull your ear. That’ll definitely make you get up.” That made Yosuke start crying.

Seeing as there was no response from Hiroshi, she pulled his ear. Despite that, Hiroshi didn’t wake up. It was at this moment that she realized his body did not flinch a single bit at all. His body seemed...oddly still for a human. 

Looking at Yosuke’s expression, she got worried. Why was he crying? Did something happen to Hiroshi or Yosuke? She needed to find out the answer now. She slowly placed her wobbly index finger under Hiroshi’s nose. 

No signs of breathing.

Umi and the other members of µ’s rushed to the Idol Research room, just in time to see Kotori stumbling back. All Umi needed to do was look at Yosuke to confirm the situation. She weeped along with Yosuke.

“This can’t be…” Kotori was overwhelmed with shock, “No, this can’t be happening...No...I refuse to believe it…This is a joke, right?” She looked at Hiroshi’s lifeless body as tears formed in her eyes.

“He...he can’t be dead…” She shook her head, “He hasn’t even said goodbye to me...He hasn’t said goodbye to me!” She started sobbing softly, unable to take the fact that her husband had passed away. Suddenly, all of her memories with him started flooding her head.

* * *

_"Oh my god." Hiroshi grumbled loudly, "Are you for real? Can you watch where you walk? You just spoiled a three thousand dollars suit!"_

_"I'm sorry, mister." Kotori took out a tissue, "Please use it to clean it. I'll give you three hundred bucks to fix it too."_

_"You think a damn tissue can clean it?" He screamed angrily, "Now, because of you, I have to go and repair this damn suit! It costs a lot, you know."_

_"I'm really sorry, mister." Kotori apologized, "I didn't mean to bump into you. I wasn't aware at all. Please forgive me."_

**_-_ **

_"You've convinced Rin to join µ's?" Umi looked at Hiroshi with surprise written on her face._

_"You're really awesome, Hiroshi-san!" Kotori commended him._

_"We're so glad to have such a manager who can sway people using his mouth." Honoka said._

_"You flatter me, girls." He grinned, "Besides, Yosuke helped me with this. He's the one who told me that it's not all about money problems that Rin and Hanayo are facing. Furthermore, we haven't found all of the members yet. We still have Nozomi, Nico, and Maki. I'll try my best to find them."_

**_-_ **

_"I'm sorry to make you and Yosuke worried." Hiroshi said, "I disrupted your training, didn't I?"_

_"It's okay." She smiled as she placed the cloth into the ice water and then onto his forehead, "I finished it earlier. Now Umi-chan is tallying the timings and planning the diets for each of us. Are you feeling okay now, though?"_

_"Yeah, thanks for asking." Hiroshi replied, "I was trying to think of ways to convince Nico to join µ's that I didn't sleep the whole night yesterday. After that, I had to follow Nozomi to stalk Nico, and we found nothing interesting."_

_"I know you're working hard for µ's to be back together again, Hiroshi-san." Kotori told him with a worried look on her face, "But don't overexert yourself. You have to get some rest. We will try our best to help you if you need any, Hiroshi-san. For now, take a day's rest, and don’t even think of anything. Just let your body rest."_

**_-_ **

_"You know, Hiroshi-san, it's not good to bottle up your feelings." Kotori looked at him worriedly, "I did it once, when I was trying to hide my unhappiness about going overseas to study fashion during high school. It certainly didn't feel good. It was horrible, and it made the people around me sad too. Once you let out your feelings, you'll feel way better. Trust me. Look at me. It made me a cheerful girl."_

_"Alright, Kotori. You win." He laughed a bit before sighing, "I'm just thinking about the past. I went through a big depressing event, and I'm constantly thinking about it. It makes me feel like dying." To his surprise, Kotori hugged him._

_"I know I can't help you much now, but I know a hug can cheer someone up." She smiled at him, "So I gave you a hug to make you feel better!" He looked at her face as his heart was beating rapidly. He smiled back at her, "Thank you, Kotori. You've indeed made me feel better now."_

_"Yay!" She beamed with joy, "I hope you won't keep it all to yourself, Hiroshi-san. I hope you'd tell me or anyone in µ's about your problem. You helped us all, so it's time for us to help you." Hiroshi nodded his head and said his thanks_

**_-_ **

_Both of them kept quiet before Hiroshi spoke up, "So, when are you free? I would like to have a casual chat with you."_

_"If you don't mind, you can come to my house." Kotori replied, "We can talk in my room, and I can make some food for you."_

**_-_ **

_Kotori looked up and saw Hiroshi kissing her cheek. She is taken aback. She isn't expecting this at all. She totally isn't. Nevertheless, she enjoyed it. It struck her that it means..._

_"I like you too, Kotori Minami." Hiroshi admitted._

_Kotori beamed in joy and hugged him, "I love you, Hiroshi-chan!"_

**_-_ **

_"In all seriousness," He held her hands, "You saved me, Kotori. Not only that, you also gave me a second chance and continued to love me even though I was a bastard who tried to push you away because I couldn't face my own problems. You never gave up on me, and you even wanted to help me. To that, thank you, Kotori. I really love you so much. No words can express my gratitude and undying love for you. I want to be with you forever."_

_"Look at you, becoming all mushy and corny." She blushed, "I like that, though. I love you too, Hiroshi-chan." They then kissed each other on the lips._

**_-_ **

_"Yeah, you look so good in that wedding dress that time." Hiroshi said dreamily, "You look so beautiful."_

_"So you mean that I wasn't beautiful before?" Kotori pouted, "Or that I'm not a pretty woman?"_

_"Of course not!" Hiroshi said, "You are forever pretty and cute! I'm just saying the wedding dress made you look so amazing! I was in awe! However, now that you're my wife, you're definitely way more gorgeous!" Kotori giggled at that and pecked his cheeks._

**_-_ **

_“Stop apologizing from now on.” Kotori told Hiroshi and wrapped her arms around his chest, “It makes your apologies sound insincere. This is not your fault too. I will do whatever I need to do as a wife and mother, because I love you, Hiroshi-chan. I promise you that when I need help, I would ask Honoka-chan and the rest for it. I won’t be stubborn to face my troubles alone.”_

_He smiled at her, “I’m glad to have met you, Kotori. I love you a lot, and I will always be in your heart, no matter where you go.” Both of them then shared a kiss under the moon._

* * *

The memories made her even more miserable and sorrowful. A plethora of depressing emotions hit her like a wave. She couldn’t take the loss of Hiroshi at all. No words can describe the extreme emotional pain she was facing right now. 

“Wake up, Hiroshi-chan!” She bawled as she shook his body, “Wake up, please! You can’t die on me now! We still have a lot of things that we haven't done, and you didn’t even say goodbye to me! Please don’t leave me, Hiroshi-chan! Wake up, Hiroshi-chan…” She then cried her heart out. The rest of the girls and Yosuke, also deeply saddened by the passing of Hiroshi, wailed in grief.

* * *

A few weeks later, Kotori held a funeral for Hiroshi. The members of µ’s, their family members, Yosuke, and their family members attended the wake. The Kurosawa sisters also arrived at the scene, paying their respects to Hiroshi. The girls and Yosuke took turns to hug Kotori, showing sympathy to her. 

“He’s in a better place now, Kotori-chan.” Honoka told her best friend.

“He will always be watching us from above.” Umi added on.

“He will always be in everyone’s hearts.” Yosuke said. 

A few minutes later, the Kurosawa sisters went to Kotori and bowed.

“My condolences, Kotori-chan.” Dia uttered, “I’m sorry for your loss.” 

“Thank you for coming, Dia-san and Ruby-chan.” Kotori looked at them, “I really appreciate it.”

“Hiroshi-san has helped us a lot, so it’s only right for us to come and pay our respects.” Dia replied. Ruby nodded her head in agreement. Kotori then hugged the both of them.

* * *

Another year had passed. Yosuke and the members of µ’s except Kotori met up in the former’s house for a catch-up. They have taken a break from recording music as Umi was pregnant, and they haven’t met each other in months as they were all busy with their own lives.

“Congratulations, Umi-chan!” Hanayo rubbed Umi’s belly, “You’re about to become a mother!”

“Thank you, Hanayo.” Umi smiled.

“You’re not gonna be so strict on your child, I hope?” Nico asked. Umi laughed at that comment and shook her head. She knew she can’t be very stern to her child as it might scare the child off. 

As they were talking about their daily lives, it was revealed that Nico and Maki were planning to get married soon on an auspicious date. Nozomi made her relationship with Eli public. Umi was four months pregnant, and she was also helping Kotori take care of her baby named Benjiro. 

“Oh, Umi-chan, you’re taking care of Benjiro-chan now, right?” Nozomi asked, “If that’s the case, where is Kotori-chan now? Why is she not present here?”

“Well, she went to ‘destress’ herself, according to what she told me.” Umi responded.

In the empty convention centre, Kotori stood on the stage in her START:DASH costume. It’s been nine years since she last wore this. She was wearing it again today because she wanted to perform the song. Hiroshi had once told her that her solo version of it was fantastic, and he’d love to see her perform the dance and sing one day. That day never came, so now she is making up for it.

She played the music on her phone and got into position. As soon as the song started, she danced to the choreography. She sang with all her heart, trying her best not to cry during the performance. 

After the song ended, she bowed down, pretending that there was an audience. She then saw Hiroshi sitting down on the seats, who was clapping his hands loudly. She could not believe her eyes. She rubbed it over and over again, and looked at the man. It was actually who she thought it was.

Hiroshi gave a thumbs up and smiled at her before slowly disappearing into thin air. Tears were flowing down her eyes. But they aren’t tears of sadness. They were tears of joy. She wiped them off and smiled.

“Thank you, Hiroshi-chan.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my last chapter of the book. It's really been a long 3-month journey for me as I took 7 months for me to write this whole thing and edit it. I just want to thank everyone who has shown me support throughout this time period, and those who have supported me in the beginning or along the way. If you do want to leave a review of this chapter or the whole story in general, you can do so in the comments.
> 
> With that said, I have a Google doc where I placed my deleted stuff in. You can check it out [here](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Hhgy4FqyAZomhxRjgT-l3FPF7gwV6l6x2EnrA5bDzxA).
> 
> Once again, thank you for all your support, and I'll see you again soon.


End file.
